Compatible
by DracoMalfoy456
Summary: At the end of the day, he supposed there were worse things in life than not being claimed by the person who was supposed to be The Love of His Life. Things such as, oh… constantly getting harassed by the Insane Prince Cipher, for example. Dipper was about five seconds away from filing a formal complaint with the world.
1. Dipper and the Terrible, Horrible Day

Hey everyone! Thanks for clicking on this story. It means a lot to this humble college student that you'd take the time out of your busy lives to click on a little story like mine. Unless you're that cat again. In which case, meow, meow, meow meow, mrow.

... If y'all've not read my other story, I just look nuts there. Whoops.

Anyway, this story is basically what would happen if, in the future, we went back to being ruled by a king and our 'Perfect Matches' were determined by a nation wide online dating site. I go more into detail in the chapter, but that's basically it. Not sure why I went with this story taking place in the distant Future, but eh.

Also, this story has nothing to do with anything; I.E I didn't reference anything to make this story. I think I saw a movie synopsis that sounded like this story a while ago, but I don't remember what it was called and I never saw the movie, so all of this is mostly my own weird mind. If you see any similarities, either it's coincidence, or I subconsciously copied. Regardless, it was not my intention. This story is also the most upbeat thing I've ever written, so hopefully it comes across as well written and not awful.

I will be posting once a week, since I've finished writing the story; I just need the extra time to edit and possibly add an epilogue. I also have no editor for this story, so any mistakes are mine. Please leave a comment or review if you spot anything out of place! Or if you want to let me know what you think!

Enjoy!

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 **Characters (in order of importance):** Dipper Pines, Bill Cipher, Mabel Pines, Pacifica Northwest

 **Tags** : Soulmate AU (kind of), Human!Bill, Compatibility, Not Drift Compatibility, (Basically what would happen if computer dating got really big), Future AU (technically), Grown up Dipper and Mabel

 **Summary** : At the end of the day, he supposed there were worse things in life than not being claimed by the person who was supposed to be The Love of His Life.

Things such as, oh… constantly getting harassed by the Insane Prince Cipher, for example.

Dipper was about five seconds away from filing a formal complaint with the world.

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Chapter One: Dipper and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Dipper Pines was ordinary. It was a Fact, with a capital F. There was nothing about him that really… shined. Sure, he had his smarts, but they weren't extraordinary. Beside his sister, Dipper was always the one who faded to the background. The one who people saw, but never _really_ saw. One half of a pair of twins, nothing that stood out about him.

He had come to terms with this Fact years before. It didn't even bother him much, anymore. It was just… a Fact of his life. He was the ordinary, everyday person. Likable enough, but not really special. He knew this. He had come to terms with this.

However, standing here amongst the thousands of other people his age, waiting for his Compatibility Match to arrive, he felt the most intense feelings of panic and dread fill him as he thought of his ordinary nature. After all, the Compatibility Matches were made based off one's best and worst characteristics. If he wasn't particularly special, then just who on Earth would he get? And, worse yet, would they mind the fact he wasn't special?

The panic firmly settled in, Dipper felt his heart pound and his breath speed up, the sounds around him muffling to nothing. Just as he felt he was about to hyperventilate, sure his heart was about to pound out of his chest as he thought of this Most Important Moment in his life and how he was positive he wasn't Enough, he heard his sister let out an excited squeal, bouncing up and down in her obvious excitement. He could practically see the beaming grin he was sure was wearing on her face, despite the fact she was turned away from him to view the crowd.

Well, that was easy for her, he thought with only mild bitterness, observing her excitement with envy. She had more personality in her left pinky than most people had throughout their entire bodies. She'd have no problem getting a good Match. It was well known that the more Special the person, the better the Match. And Mabel… Mabel was Special, no doubt about it.

"Oh, isn't this amazing, Dipper?!" His sister beamed, her eyes bright as the sun as she looked around at all the other Secondary People around them. Dipper looked around at well, with just a touch of a frown.

See, every Match was split into two categories: Primary People, and Secondary People. It was determined by the person's personality in their Match, whether they would be the dominant force in whatever relationship the two had. He and Mabel had, apparently, been put into the Secondary People category. Honestly, he wasn't surprised that he had been put in this category, as he had never had a domineering attitude. Mabel, however… he would have thought with her outgoing nature, she would have been the most dominant of any pair. That's how it had been whenever she had dated. Obviously whoever her Match was, they were more dominant than she was. He wondered if that would be a good thing or not.

"I don't know, Mabel. I'm not sure 'amazing' is the word I'd use," he replied faintly, his nerves flaring. Nerve-wracking would likely be a better word. Or maybe, completely and utterly terrifying. As everyone knew, meeting up with one's Match was probably the biggest moment in a person's life. While there was no saying that a person had to marry their Match, most people did. After all, a Match was with a person who was almost perfect for you, in your age group at least. Occasionally a person wouldn't find their perfect Match in their age group, thus having to go onto the next year, but that rarely happened. So as long as things went well, this would be the time he met his Soulmate, as Mabel always said. This one moment in time when he'd be able to make a first impression on the person he was, hopefully, going to spend the rest of his life with. So yeah, definitely nerve-wracking.

"Oh Dip-Dop. You're just not thinking about this positively! I'm sure everything's going to work out fine, just you wait and see bro-bro," Mabel enthused, nudging his shoulder lightly with her own, grinning widely at him. Dipper managed to give her a tight smile back, but was quickly distracted by the milling crowd.

As he looked around, he noticed that he didn't recognize even a tenth of them. It made sense, since the crowd was made up of eighteen year olds from all over the kingdom, not just his small town of Gravity Falls. It made him, if possible, feel even more nervous. He wondered if he'd get someone from Gravity Falls, or if he'd get someone from a distant town or village, or even city. He wasn't sure which would be worse. It wasn't like there was anyone in Gravity Falls that he was particularly interested in, his age at least. Maybe Pacifica, but she wasn't exactly his type. However, if he got someone from far away… they may want him to move to their town. And, no matter what, he knew that he didn't want to be separated from his twin.

Time passed slowly after that, as he listened absently to his twin chatter on and on about who her match would be, wondering what his name would be, if he would be handsome, etcetera. Part of Dipper wondered if she wasn't nervous herself, with how rapidly she spoke. It wouldn't surprise him. She had been dreaming of this day since they had been children, enthusing on and on about her future Match. Now that the day was here, it wouldn't be amiss to think that she might be a touch nervous. Heavens knew he was.

This had to be the worst part of being a Secondary Person, he thought bitterly, watching the crowd around him get steadily more anxious as the minutes passed. They had to wait for the Primary People to arrive before they figured out who their Match was, while Primary People knew in advance. It was a tradition left over from the past, when the Matches used to be made between a man and a woman only, with the men being the ones who claimed the women. That had been changed decades beforehand, with the reforms for complete honesty amongst the Matches, as well as gender and sexual equality, but the tradition of the Primary Person being the one to claim the Secondary Person had stuck. Regrettably.

Dipper could feel his heart beat faster and faster as he felt time moving, as he heard the crowd's whispering grow louder and louder. He barely even registered the fact that his sister had stopped speaking, instead deciding to cling to his arm like she had when they were children, whenever she had been afraid. He was too preoccupied with not throwing up to spare a thought for his twin.

"Do you think they'll like me?" He heard Mabel ask in a small voice minutes later, causing him to look down at her, his heart clenching at the terrified look he saw there. Ah, so he had been right. She was nervous. Forcing his own panic down, he smiled down at his twin, gently reclaiming his arm so he could wrap it around her thin shoulders.

"They'd have to be a complete idiot not to," he declared, meaning the words wholeheartedly. Anyone who didn't like Mabel had to be completely bonkers, in his opinion. He watched as a slow smile grew on her face, her terror fading just a bit as she grinned back up at him, showing off her brilliantly white smile, teeth perfectly straight after three long years of orthodontic work.

"Yeah, I guess. Same goes for you, bro-bro. I'm sure that whoever your Match is, they'll love you immediately," she asserted, nodding her head in emphasis. Dipper wasn't so sure of that, but he nodded back either way. He looked away after that, but did not remove his arm from his twin's shoulder. He felt that they both needed the support, right at that moment.

Finally, right when Dipper was sure he was going to burst from the panic and anticipation, he heard the sound of a train pulling into the station, signifying the arrival of the Primary People. He tightened his grip on his twin, hearing as she let out a tiny squeak of fear. The rest of the crowd was having similar reactions, all sound silenced at once as they stared at the train that carried their destiny. Nearly every Primary Person was on that train, and while the official ceremony wasn't for two days, nearly everyone met their Match for the first time this very moment. As long as the Primary Person wished it, of course. All the power was in their hands, at least until that first meeting had been made.

The crowd collectively held their breath as the train door opened slowly, the very first Primary Person stumbling out, paper gripped tightly in their shaking hands. Dipper could only watch as they handed the paper to the man who organized the Matches, a loud voice calling out over the loud speaker the very first name. His heart was beating so fast he could barely hear anything but it, feeling like he was about to faint. It was with mild disappointment that he realized his name hadn't been called, but he supposed that was alright. It was only the first person. He still had time.

Slowly but surely the crowd around him and his sister grew smaller and smaller. There had to be thousands of people in the courtyard, but names got called out every five seconds, so quick that if one wasn't paying attention, they'd miss it completely and have to wait until the end to meet up with their Match.

It was when there was only about a thousand people left that he heard his sister's name get called, a loud 'MABEL PINES' spoken clearly across the intercom. Giving his twin an encouraging smile and one last shoulder squeeze, he let her go, watching as she stiffly made her way up to the train, where her Match was waiting. Dipper hoped their meeting went well.

More names got called. The crowd got smaller. Still Dipper stood, mind racing, heart pounding. Minutes ticked by and he wondered if he had missed his name, if he'd have to wait 'til the end to meet up with his Match. Or, worse yet, his Match was one who had decided against this initial meeting. He didn't know why they wouldn't want to meet now, as meeting later would just put more pressure on the both of them, with the first meeting they had immediately followed by them announcing to the whole world who their Perfect Person was, which was just a touch terrifying. It did happen, though, and it would be just his luck that his Match would be one to decide that.

Finally, long minutes later, the very last name was called. There were still about a hundred people left in the courtyard, all looking as nervous and scared as he. A moment of silence filled the air, then, the very first since the whole affair had started. After the moment passed, the organizer's voice filled the air once more, stating that everyone who had not been called form a single file line and see if their match had declined the initial meeting or not.

With a churning stomach, Dipper marched forward, his arms shaking as his heart pounded. Oh, it was everything he had feared, not getting called and being forced to wait even longer. Well, at least it was better than meeting his Match and realizing they hated him or something.

Waiting on the line was excruciating, but part of him was grateful for the reprieve. At least it gave him the luxury of attempting to calm his nerves.

When he arrived to the front of the line, hands shaking, he looked at the man who held his fate in his hands and took a deep breath, all his nerves flaring at once.

"Name," the man demanded, looking at him with cold, uncaring, clinical eyes. Like Dipper was just a bug, an annoyance that was in this man's way. He tried not to pass out from nerves.

"Uhh... I-I'm… D-Dopper. W-wait, I-I mean Dipper! Uh… D-Dipper Pines," he stuttered, fumbling his words worse than he had on his first date at age fourteen. He tried not to recoil at the unimpressed look the man gave him before looking at the book that held everyone's name.

"'Mason 'Dipper' Pines: declined meeting,'" the man read, looking back up at Dipper a second later with bored eyes. "Your Match had declined this meeting. You will meet them in two days outside the ceremony hall, an hour before the Ceremony begins."

And that was that. The man continued to stare at Dipper until the boy managed to stammer out a word of gratitude and walked off towards the right, where all the other Unclaimed people were standing, looking dejected and somewhat afraid.

So. He would have to wait until Monday, two days of agony while he waited. Letting out a breath of air, Dipper tried not to let it get him down, tried not to feel the rejection that this declined meeting potentially signified. After all, it was well known that there were quite a few people who objected to the Matching Ceremony, calling it barbaric and primitive, not to mention an inexact science. If his Match was one of those people…

But he couldn't think of it, he reminded himself harshly. He couldn't psych himself out now, not after coming all this way. Besides, why would his Match sign up if they didn't want to have a Match? Protest from within? It made no sense! So he would be safe.

Well, as long as he didn't have only a Partial Match, he thought as he walked over to the buses that would take him to the hotel the Matches were to stay in over the weekend. Partial Matches were the worst; it was basically saying that you did not have a full match in your age group and therefore had to settle for someone with only partial compatibility to you. It didn't happen often, but the most notorious example of that would have to be Prince Cipher, who had gotten partial matches for the past four years in a row. As Prince, though, he couldn't settle for a Half Match, a Lesser Match. He needed a Full Match, a Proper Match to be his partner. So he kept moving on to the next year, hoping that he would get a Proper Match in the next age group.

It probably didn't help that Prince Cipher was said to be completely mad, though, like his mother had been before she had been carted away to the insane asylum. No one could say anything against him, however, since he was the King's only son and heir, his brothers having all been murdered in an attack when he had been a young child, with him managing to survive the attack by hiding under another dead body, though he had still lost his left eye.

It did hurt his compatibility, though, since those who were… less mentally stable than other's always had a harder time finding a person who could deal with them with all of their… 'Issues.' Not that anything was wrong with them; no, they simply needed someone who was patient and caring enough, which was a hard thing to find in this day and age. It was also a point that Prince Cipher had a reputation of being an utter ass to anyone who spoke to him, which also didn't help his case much.

So, Dipper assured himself as he took a seat next to a window on the bus, as long as he didn't have Insane Prince Cipher as a Match, he should be fine.

And if not, well, Matches weren't everything. Sure, they were the people meant to be the best fit for you, but it didn't always work out. And you could find a love match that wasn't a Perfect Match. Or a love match that was from a different year, which wasn't common, but definitely wasn't uncommon. And Matches could be done at any time, if you did find a match outside of your Perfect Match, to see compatibility. It wasn't as fancy and ceremonious as the Matching Ceremony, but there was no shame in it.

So he would be fine, he told himself firmly. Completely, totally, fine.

Probably.


	2. Never Ask 'Could This Day Get Any Worse'

Hi! I'm posting this today, since I have a lot of homework tomorrow, and I have class on Monday.

Anyway; I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. I wrote it while I was half asleep and kind of ill, and even with extensive editing, it's... meh. Not to mention I wrote this chapter almost a year after I wrote the first one, so there is a bit of a difference in writing. So... yeah. I'm still blown away by the reception this story got, so I hope this chapter doesn't ruin anything.

I'll go more into details in the end note, but basically, please tell me what you think of this chapter. If you liked it or not. As previously said, this is my most upbeat story ever and it... kind of shows. I'm not used to writing people happy and not all depressed...

Well... Enjoy!

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Chapter Two: In Which One Should Never Ask 'Could This Day Get Any Worse?'

When his bus arrived at the hotel where all the Matches- both Primary and Secondary- stayed, Dipper immediately went to check in, where he found his room number and got his key. He'd be sharing with his sister, since it saved their parents some money. The Matching Ceremony cost a lot of money to attend as it was, so any amount of money saved was good, in his parent's book. Besides, Dipper didn't mind sharing with his twin; he used to do all the time while in Gravity Falls, where they lived as apprentices for their great uncles. In recent years they had gotten their own rooms, but sharing was never something he minded in regards to Mabel.

Taking the elevator up to his room, which was on floor ten, he felt himself relax somewhat.

So the day hadn't turned out quite as well as he had hoped. At least it hadn't gone as bad as he had feared, which was always a plus. It would turn out alright, he told himself. And if it didn't, he'd deal with it. His parents had already said they didn't mind the expense of the Matching, claiming that it was a necessary part of growing up that every young person had to go through at least once. Even if the Match failed, or if you hated your Match, at least you had gone through the process. It was like his Bar Mitzvah; a ceremony that signified a rite of passage, even if it was incredibly outdated and tedious.

He was taken from his thoughts when the doors to the elevator opened on floor ten, letting him and a few other people out into the hallway. With a deep breath, Dipper marched over to his room, counting the door numbers to find his. After finding it, he entered the key into the electronic door and waited for the light to turn green, signifying the door unlocking. Turning the handle, he entered the small but nice looking room, two twin beds sitting in front of a small flat screen TV. With a smile, Dipper walked over to the bed by the window and sat down, lying back on the soft mattress. He'd go claim his bag from the concierge later; right then he was dead tired and needed to rest. After all, he had spent the majority of the previous night wide awake, fretting over this failed meeting.

Closing his eyes, Dipper allowed himself to drift off, his dreams full of people milling around him while he desperately tried to find someone. To find the one who was meant for him. When he awoke to the sound of the door closing, hours later, he was unsure how he felt about the fact that he hadn't found them in time.

He didn't have much time to analyze his dream, though, before a loud squeal filled the air and he felt his bed dip, his body getting attacked by a very enthusiastic hug. He tried not to let out a squeak and let his sister get her excitement out, blinking the sleep out of his eyes.

"Dipper, Dipper, Dipper! I met my match today! She's perfect! I mean, at first I was skeptical, since we hated each other as kids, but now I realize we're totally meant for each other!" Mabel squealed, her voice so high pitched that Dipper was sure that only dogs could hear it at this point. It took him a moment to fully process his sister's words, but even after he did, he was still slightly confused.

"Wait… she? Hated each other? Just who did you get, Mabel?" Dipper questioned, gently peeling his twin away from him. It wasn't unheard of to get a same sex match (and was, in fact, one of the reasons why the Secondary and Primary People classification existed) but it wasn't too common. Especially if one had always expressed interest in one sex over the others, like Mabel had. However, looking at the way Mabel's face kind of took on a guilty expression, Dipper was starting to wonder of there was something his twin hadn't told him.

"Uh, right… so, maybe I'm not quite as… straight, as I always appeared?" Mabel hedged with a guilty smile, wincing when she saw the unimpressed look on her brother's face. "I was going to tell you! I swear. It just… never came up."

Dipper let out a soft sigh, shaking his head slightly.

"Whatever Mabel. You know I'll love you no matter what, right?" he informed, not minding all that much that she hadn't told him her preference. After all, he had never told her about how he sometimes let his eyes linger on the forms of the few male friends he had. Not that he was ashamed of it; rather, it simply wasn't really something he really wanted to speak about with his sister. It would have been like the time Mabel had found out about his crush of Wendy and had subsequently refused to leave him alone about it. Not something he was interested in dealing with, especially about something as private as this.

He watched with mild amusement as relief filled his sister's eyes, a wide smile breaking out on her face. Like he'd ever stop loving her, he thought fondly. She could probably kill a man and his first response would be 'where can we hide the body?' After the initial panicking, of course, but he never pretended to not be a worrywart.

"Thanks, Dip-Dop," Mabel replied softly, lurching forward to give him another back-breaking hug. Letting out a grunt of pain, he gently pried his sister off of him and patted her awkwardly on the shoulder.

"You know," he hedged a minute later, breaking the comfortable silence that had descended after his approval, "you never did tell me _who_ your match actually was. Something about hating each other as kids?" He finished, looking at her with a soft frown. The frown grew when she winced once again, the guilty look returning as she began to twirl her hair with her finger. Just who had she gotten, Dipper thought with growing worry. She had seemed so enthused when she had awoken him, so it wasn't someone she viewed with distaste. That meant it was someone he disliked, he concluded. Who Mabel, and likely him, had hated as a child. But who did he dislike and/or hated that was female? He couldn't think of anyone who he… oh. Oh. Oh, no.

"No. No. Mabel!" He exclaimed, watching as the look on his sister's face grew even guiltier, her hand coming up in a universal motion of 'wait, let me explain.' However, he didn't want an explanation. He already had a hunch about who she had gotten, and while he may not be happy, it made sense, in a weird, twisted way. Still, he wasn't about to accept it right away.

"Pacifica?" He demanded incredulously, "really?" Upon not receiving a word of disagreement, he knew that his hunch was confirmed. With a groan, he buried his head in his hands and began to resign himself to a life with a particular Northwest running around.

"It's not that bad, bro-bro. She's grown up a lot since we were kids. The first thing she did when we met at the train was apologize for how she had treated us, even though she's done it many times in the past. And, after talking for a while, we realized we have a lot more in common than just mini golf. Apparently she actually really likes crafting! We're already planning on creating a big project for the town, when we get back!" Mabel enthused, her smile returning as she thought of her Match. Despite himself, Dipper felt a rush of envy flow through him, remembering his Match and their refusal to meet. To think, this could have been him, had his Match just decided to meet him, he thought blandly. Not wanting his twin to think he disapproved, even though he kind of did (after all, Pacifica? Ugh, he thought with distaste) he plastered a smile on his face and gave her a small side hug.

"I'm happy for you, Mabes. As long as she treats you well, I have no objections."

His words were worth it, even with the bad taste they left in his mouth, when he saw the way Mabel practically lit up like a firefly, her already beaming face stretching impossibly wider. He was prepared this time when she tackled him, countering with his own bear hug, determined not to let her win this battle of affection. However, he had to call Uncle when he started to lose oxygen, his head spinning with the lack of air.

With a laugh, he pulled away, his heart flying as he saw his sister so ecstatic. After all, he loved her with all his heart and her happiness was probably one of the most important things to him. It even allowed him to forget his own disappointment, if only momentarily, to see her so happy.

That was ruined, however, when Mabel decided to ask him about his Match. His smile fading off his face, he looked away from his sister, biting his lip in a nervous habit that he really should have kicked by that point. He heard his sister call his name, worry in her voice, but he wasn't sure if he would be able to muster up the courage to tell her the truth. Knowing her, she'd probably do something dramatic, such as march up to the Matching Office and demand they tell her who his Match was or something similarly ridiculous.

When she called his name again, this time with a hint of warning in her voice that usually preceded a tickling session, Dipper knew the jig was up and let out a long suffering sigh. Still he stalled, trying to find the right words. How exactly does one say that they were stood up on the most important date of either of their lives?

"Come on, Dip, just tell me who you got! It can't be _that_ bad. She's not ugly is she? If she is, then you need to reevaluate your priorities, because I'm sure she's actually very lovely and you're just being too judgmental! Or is she rude? If that's it, then maybe you can talk with her? See if you can convince her to be nicer? Oh! Or I could talk with her! I'm sure any issues will be resolved by the Love Doctor!" Mabel exclaimed, apparently deciding to make up her own story when Dipper took too long to reply. Pulling a face at his twin, he sighed again as he laid down on his bed, running a hand down his face, letting it remain there so he didn't have to face the world.

"Thanks, Mabel, but not necessary. I wasn't claimed. I don't know who my Match even _is_ , let alone if they're pretty or nice."

Well, that shut her up, he thought miserably. Silence reigned supreme in the tiny room, the only sounds being the ones that came from the small icebox they had in the corner of the room. Finally, after a long minute, he felt more than saw Mabel lie down beside him, her hand coming to rest on his hand, prying it away from his face and setting it back down between them, but not letting it go.

"I'm sorry, Dipper," she whispered softly, for once entirely serious. "I know how much this first meeting meant to you. It's not fair."

Letting out a soft, humorless laugh, Dipper squeezed her hand, a rush of gratitude towards her filling him. No matter what anyone said, Mabel did have the ability to be sensitive, when the situation called for it.

"But, if you want, I can always go to the Matching Office and demand they give me the name of your Match, not leaving until I get the information. Those bookworms won't know what hit then after getting struck by the one and only Mabel!"

Letting out a full blown laugh at that, Dipper turned on his side and gave his twin another hug, somewhat awkward due to the angle, not to mention the fact he was hugging his sibling while lying down on a twin sized bed. With a grimace, Dipper sat up, stretching his back to ignore the awkwardness.

"Thanks, Mabel, but it's fine. Really. I'll just… meet them at the ceremony, I guess. Better hope they're nice, huh?"

With a sigh, the boy stood and walked over to the window, looking out at the wonderful view of hotel roof, wondering if this whole thing had been a big mistake or not.

Feeling his sister's eyes on his back, Dipper started to feel self-conscious, which caused him to feel almost stifled in this too small room. After a moment, he decided that he wanted to go out for a walk, even though it was passed midnight already. It was what he did when he was feeling stressed back at home, so maybe it would help him sort through his emotions now. Plus, he wouldn't have to deal with Mabel's well meaning, but usually overbearing, advice. Mind made up, he turned around and began walking to the door.

Without looking at his sister, not wanting to see the pity he knew resided there, he grabbed his signature vest and hat that he had left by the door, and left the room with a quick 'see you later, I'm gonna go for a walk, don't wait up,' the bright lighting in the hallway assaulting his eyes as he rushed to the elevator without a backward glance.

So maybe he wasn't okay, he thought glumly as the elevator doors closed, leaving him in solitude. There wasn't even any cheery elevator music, though he was unsure if he was upset about that or not.

Mabel had been right, though. It _wasn't_ fair. Why did his Match get to know who he was and what he looked like, but he was stuck here, not even a name to muse about? It was practically cruel, he fumed, storming out of the elevator when the doors opened, eyes focussed solely on the ground.

Maybe this _had_ been a bad idea. Maybe he hadn't been meant for having a Match. Or maybe Matches were just a stupid, outdated idea that only romantics like Mabel thought worked. After all, his great uncles never had a Match, and they were just fine. Ford frequently mentioned that he had been too focussed on school to care about Matches, and Stan… well, Stan had been homeless at the time, he and Mabel had eventually learned, but he never seemed lonely! Except for that time he mentioned that he sometimes wished he had someone to share his life with… and that being a bachelor forever kind of grew tiring after a while…

Ugh!, Dipper thought, his teeth clenching together as he exited the automatic hotel doors, the cool night air refreshing, even though he didn't notice it with the anger that flowed through him. This was such madness! Matches didn't matter. There would be other times where he'd be able to find people. People could fall in love anytime, it didn't matter if they were Compatible or not. It didn't matter that it felt like failure that his Match hadn't wanted to meet him, or that he felt like his heart was breaking despite the fact he had never even _met_ this person, so why did it hurt so badly they didn't want to meet him? It was illogical, and stupid, and if his eyes didn't stop tearing up he was going to punch something, he swore it.

Before he could do something drastic that would likely end in pain, Dipper felt himself stop suddenly, which made his jumbled mind freeze as he tried to understand why he had stopped. It took him about half a second to realize he had stopped because he had run into something, likely a wall. It took the other half of the second to realize that, because of the sudden stop and resistance, he was about to fall backwards, likely making a complete fool of himself. Not that there was anyone out there other than him, as late at night as it was, but it was the principle of the matter, thank you very much.

Before he could even brace himself for impact, however, he felt something warm wrap around his waist, dragging him forward against something even warmer that smelled of cinnamon and cloves. Throwing his arms up on instinct, his forearms came into contact with something soft, which confused him, because walls were not supposed to be soft? But, walls also were not supposed to be warm, or wrap around you, so it was with that knowledge that Dipper's confused mind made the connection that he perhaps wasn't as alone as he had thought, and that it had not been a wall that he had run into.

He felt his face heat up when all the pieces fell into place in his mind. The flush grew darker when he heard a low chuckle, the vibrations he felt against his arms indicating that whoever was holding him- holding him! - was the one laughing. At him. Dear God, could this day get any worse?!

As if to answer that rhetorical question, he felt the arms that were around him squeeze tighter, hands slipping low on his back and pulling him closer, rather than pushing him away. Oh, great, Dipper thought with rising panic. He had run into a pervert. Literally. He was really thinking about lodging a complaint with the world, informing it that the question 'could this day get any worse' was rhetorical and not meant as a challenge.

"Well, well, well. Lookie at what I caught in my web tonight. How peculiar," a soft, silky voice mused, the hands radiating heat where they touched, causing something in Dipper to flip not unpleasantly. Not wanting to think about his reaction to this situation, he started to pull away, a yelp on his tongue, but he stopped when he realized that he recognized that voice. It wasn't a familiar voice, but… he definitely knew it. Somehow. It was the how that stopped him, causing the boy to freeze in the unfamiliar arms.

With a frown, Dipper looked at the chest that was in front of his face, which was clothed in a very dapper, bright yellow suit jacket, complete with a black vest and a little black bow tie. Huh. A bow tie. Didn't see many of those these days, Dipper thought distractedly, still focussed on trying to determine where he knew that voice. Oh, sure, he could have always just looked up and ended the mystery, but where was the fun in that? Dipper didn't think about how he shouldn't be having any 'fun' while in the arms of a mysterious pervert, as it was too confusing for his tired, still upset mind to comprehend at the moment.

"A mute, perhaps. Or maybe just shy. Or maybe he's funny in the head," the voice mused, sounding decidedly amused. The laugh that sounded a second later confirmed the amusement, making Dipper break out of his trance, his face heating up once again as he remembered where he was and why he shouldn't be staying in the arms of a strange man. "Ha! Hey, Pine Tree, you alright in there? Didn't knock your brain cells around, did I? Should be more careful, wandering around without looking where you're going. Could hurt yourself!"

With that, Dipper pulled away, his face surely redder than a tomato, his heart beating wildly with his nerves and his mild anger. How dare this guy mock him?! As he pulled away he felt a little resistance, almost like the man didn't want to let go, but that was far from reassuring. Instead Dipper felt more concerned, wondering if he should talk back, or if he should run head first back to the hotel, where there were still people milling about. As it was, the boy had no idea where he had wandered, the area that he could see as his eyes darted left and right completely foreign to his eyes. Curse his ability to nervously wander when he was upset! Oh, he thought miserably, he never should have left the room.

"Ha-ha! You're a feisty one, aren't ya, Pine Tree? Good to know, good to know," the man mumbled, chuckling softly to himself. Still not looking up at the man's face, Dipper was once against struck with a sense of familiarity. Whose voice was that? And why did he know it?

Now he couldn't run back to the hotel, not without learning whose voice that was. So, even though he felt like he was admitting defeat, he took a deep breath and lifted his head, a biting remark ready on lips. The remark died, however, as his eyes lifted up past the neck (where that bow tie resided. Really, who wore bow ties anymore?) and onto a large, blindingly white grin, impossibly high cheekbones framing the grin. Struck with familiarity once more, Dipper's tongue tied as he lifted his eyes a little bit more, a small but defined nose coming into view. A little pointy, but nothing to sneeze about. Taking another deep breath, pushing down the mild fear he felt at the proximity to someone who was unknown and yet somehow known, he lifted his eyes the last few millimeters, looking into the man's eyes.

Or, Dipper thought with a sense of growing horror, eye. Singular. With the other one covered by an ornate golden eye patch, perfectly matching the highly aristocratic face. An aristocratic face that he recognized instantly, his heart stopping as he realized just who it was he was talking to.

"P-Prince C-Cipher!" Dipper stammered out, his previously heated blood freezing as he stared at the wildly grinning man, who looked tickled pink at the horror that Dipper knew was plain on his face.

That was why he knew that voice, he thought distantly. Not only had he grown up hearing it, but he had been forced to hear it earlier that week, when Mabel had been watching the man give an interview talking about how he was hopeful that this year would be the one he'd find his Match, like he had said the last five years in a row. Dipper had been positive that the speech the man gave this year had actually been the exact same speech, taken verbatim, as the past year's speech. He had only watched for about five minutes before leaving Mabel to obsess over the upcoming Matching Ceremony on her own, but it was not easy to forget a voice like the prince's. High pitched, but at the same time not. Almost like two people were talking at once, warring for the dominant sound. He'd be lying if he said the voice didn't fascinate him, a little.

That being said, this situation was probably even worse than if the man _had_ been a pervert. He had run into the prince! He was nearly positive there was a law against things like that. Something like 'the common folk' should never touch the Crown Prince of the nation, or something like that. Never mind that the aristocracy was far less stringent than they had been in the Ancient Times, before democracy had come and gone with little ceremony, and the subsequent Great World Wars. It was the principle of the matter, he thought, heart freezing.

Though… the prince did look awfully amused. Was that because he was thinking of all the ways he could punish him?! Maybe even kill him?! He could feel himself start to hyperventilate, only stopping when the prince laughed again, the sound high pitched and strangely charming.

"I've petrified him! Ha, ha! How peculiar! You're a funny one, aren't ya, Pine Tree? You should loosen up a bit. Maybe try a drink. Oh, but you're probably underage. Hm. Ah well," the prince muttered, looking around with curiosity, his one golden eye alight with mirth, before settling on the boy again. Dipper tried not to shiver, having the entirety of that intense gaze focussed solely on him. "You do look like you're about to faint, though. Will I have to catch you for a second time? Sheesh, you sure are high maintenance. I feel bad for whoever got you as a Match."

"Hey!" Dipper exclaimed after a second had passed and it had registered that the prince had just insulted him. The shock of coming face to face with the Insane Prince Cipher was fading, indignation taking its place. Prince or not, this guy was turning out to be the huge jerk Dipper had always thought him to be, the likes that Dipper had always hated in school. So, puffing himself up to his full- admittedly not that impressive- height, he opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted when Cipher let out that laugh of his again.

"Ha! But I gotta admit, you sure are adorable when you get mad. Could just pinch your cheeks!"

Face reddening, Dipper glared at the smug looking man, who clearly knew how obnoxious he was being, and yet delighted in it. Clenching his fists, Dipper tried again, not letting the rude prince discourage him

"F-first of all, y-you don't know me! So- so don't be making any judgements about me or my Match! And second of all… second of all…" Dipper paused, realizing he had no second point, but seeing as how he had already committed to saying a second point, he couldn't just stop, "you're not very nice!"

Smooth, Pines. Very smooth.

He was positive his cheeks would never stop being red at this that. He was also positive he had never been as embarrassed as he was at this moment, watching as Prince Cipher doubled over, howling with laughter, his laugh beyond grating to listen to and not at all charming anymore.

Stiffening up, Dipper decided it would just be better to cut his losses and turned to go before he could embarrass himself any more than he already had. He was not sure which direction the hotel was, but he knew that regardless of where he was heading, he didn't want to be here a second longer.

Before he had been able to get more than five steps away, however, he felt a warm yet gentle hand grasp his shoulder and stop him in his tracks. Squaring his shoulders, he whirled around to tell the man to leave him alone, but the words died when he saw the considering look on the prince's suddenly too close face, the man's eye glued firmly on the boy's face. Dipper was unsure why, but something in that look made him pause, his heart stuttering in his chest as he witnessed it.

"Leaving so soon, Pine Tree? And here I was, thinking we were getting along great," Cipher muttered, his eye still glued to Dipper's face, his lips pulled downward in an attractive pout. Dipper ignored the fluttering he felt in his stomach at the low voice, lifting his eyes away from the prince's lips and back up to his eye.

"I should be getting back to my room, Y-Your Highness. My sister will be worrying," Dipper lied in a similarly low voice, licking his lips as he wondered why he had just lied. He knew that Mabel wouldn't care about his late night habits, not after all these years. He should have just pulled away and given a scathing comment for the prince to leave him alone, and yet… and yet. Maybe part of him was still afraid of retribution, he assured himself.

After all, it did no one any good to feel any sort of attraction towards the Prince, regardless of how good looking girls always claimed he was. Now Dipper would admit, the man looked good, but it was superficial at best. Even when the prince wasn't spouting out random nonsense during his speeches or during the monthly addresses, his comments were mean spirited, or downright cruel. He had once made a girl cry on live television all because she had worn blue, even though it was _obvious_ the 'in color' was yellow. It really was no wonder the man had never found himself a Match; he truly was a horrid human being. Dipper was just afraid, that was all, and fear made people feel weird things.

It didn't stop his stomach from squirming when he saw the prince pout, his plump lips poking outwards in a look that should have looked childish and yet was anything but.

"Oh well. Suppose I'll have to catch another little fly in my web, see if they'll stay with me in my parlor. See you around Pine Tree."

With that, the prince began to saunter away, hips swaying to the beat of a song no one else could hear. Just as Dipper was about to shake his head and turn back to the hotel, determined to forget about this bizarre meeting, he saw the prince stop and turn his head slightly back, his face and body cast in harsh shadows.

"Oh! But I wish you good luck with your Match, Pine Tree," the man snickered, "you're gonna need it. But… maybe you'll do just fine. What do I know, huh?"

Those words done with, the prince continued on his way, humming a slow and somewhat creepy melody as he walked. Dipper continued to stare at his retreating back until he was completely engulfed in the darkness. Only after he was gone did Dipper allow himself to move, shaking his head to clear it of any and all thoughts of the Insane Prince Cipher. And to think, he had once thought the nickname mean spirited. Now, however, now he understood. He didn't even really feel too stung by the man's parting comment. The man clearly was insane, if his comment about flies and parlors was any indication.

Determined not to think any more on this, Dipper headed up to his room and slipped quietly into his bed, not wanting to wake Mabel, who had clearly been exhausted by the day's excitement. Knowing how she felt, Dipper nodded off almost as soon as his head touched the pillow, not caring that he hadn't washed up or changed into pajamas. After an exchange like the one he had just had, he just wanted to sleep for years.

And if he dreamed about warm arms surrounding him, the scent of cinnamon and cloves assaulting his senses, heat radiating throughout his body… well, he was only human.

* * *

Hi! So, you've met Bill. I want to clarify one thing, right now; Bill will not be written as any more mentally ill than this, if only because I don't want to use negative stereotypes. Plus, he is on medication, so he won't be acting... 'unhinged' or anything. I do go more into his madness in the epilogue, where I briefly touch on what illness he has (while I didn't write it in mind, from the symptoms I gave him, I think he probably had paranoid schizophrenia. That being said, I don't know anyone with paranoid schizophrenia, so if I got anything wrong, feel free to tell me and I'll do my best to fix it. I did do research on the disorder before making my decision, but as I said, I didn't write him with the disorder in mind, so I probably got some things wrong.)

Other than that, I hope things are pretty straight forward at the moment. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Oh! Just mentioning, but I added a cover to this story, so if you're on FF . net, you should be able to see it, and if you're on AO3, I put it at the beginning of the first chapter. If anyone wants to draw anything for this story, you're more than welcome, and I periodically check on the tag "DracotheDeathEatingCupcake" on Tumblr, as well as "DtDEC." So if you do anything, post it there and I might see it. :-)


	3. Bill Acts like a Nice Guy For 5 Minutes

Hey all! Instead of writing my five page Rhetoric paper, I decided to edit and post this! I'm a wonderful college student. :-)

Anyway, more Bill! I'm glad y'all liked Dipper and Bill's interactions in the last chapter; that's pretty much the norm, with these two.

I don't really have much more to say (shocking, I know), so I'll let you get on to the story now.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Three: In Which Bill Acts like a Nice Guy; For About Five Minutes.

* * *

"Hey broski! Have fun on your walk last night?" He heard his sister call out to him as he got out of bed the next morning, groaning as his back clicked back into place. He rubbed his eyes and took a look at the clock, groaning again when he saw it read 8:00 AM. He had awoken to the sounds of loud boy band music, which had reminded him suddenly of why he and Mabel no longer shared a room together at the Shack. Well, that, amongst other things.

"Mabel, you're my sister and I love you, but if you plan on waking me up at eight in the morning every day, I will smash your phone," Dipper claimed sleepily, letting out a long yawn. If he was being honest, there was no real reason for him to be tired, not after having had that nap the day before and the fact he got to bed at a reasonable time (and, for him, one AM was definitely reasonable). However, he supposed that everything that had happened the day before had just left him drained. Especially the ending…

He was pulled out of his thoughts of the weird encounter the night before when he heard his sister let out a loud, somewhat melodramatic gasp.

"Dipper Pines, you wouldn't dare!" Mabel exclaimed, clutching her phone to her chest like it was a wounded animal, her brown eyes overly large. The boy let out a snort, walking over to his suitcase, which Mabel must have gotten for him, and took out a clean shirt and pair of shorts. Mabel had tried to get him to dress up, but he had reasoned that it wouldn't make sense to give his Match a false idea of who he was, now would it? She had let it slide, but he could feel her glare as he walked over to the minuscule bathroom.

"Try me, sis. Keep the music down until at least ten, alright?"

Mabel pouted, but nodded slowly.

"Oh, fine. Not my fault you're a grumpy night owl."

Sticking her tongue out at him, she waltzed out of the room, clearly having showered and gotten ready before he had even woken up. How she could be so awake in the mornings was beyond him; it usually took him at least two cups of coffee to feel human, and even then it was only a little.

With a shrug, Dipper went into the shower and did his business. After his stint of not showering for weeks at a time when he was twelve to thirteen, he had learned that it was better to smell nice when going places where he'd be meeting people. He had learned that lesson after a particularly embarrassing moment when his eighth grade science teacher had told him that she was uncertain if the skunk sample was the thing that smelled, or him. After that he took to showering at least once every other day.

Showering done, Dipper headed downstairs, his stomach grumbling as he wondered what was being served for breakfast. He entered the dining hall, a relatively decent sized cream colored room filled with young adults and rows upon rows of tables, and quickly found his sister, the liveliest of the milling adults, her arms waving back and forth as she enthused something to a familiar looking blonde. Sighing inwardly, Dipper walked over to Mabel, smiling politely at her companion.

"Hey, Pacifica," Dipper greeted, his teeth only slightly clenched. He may have forgiven her for her rudeness (and perhaps realized that she was quite a lovely girl, when one looked past her sometimes foul personality) but he still wasn't quite comfortable around her. After he had helped rid her mansion of the ghost, they never really spoke. Sure, they passed each other by every so often when in town, but there wasn't much they had to say to one another. However, he supposed he was going to have to make an effort, especially if Mabel was serious about her. And, judging by the heart eyes he could practically see his twin sporting, it looked like she really was.

"Hey, Dipper," Pacifica greeted back, equally as stiff. Mabel, however, beamed.

"Aw, look at you guys! Gettin' along. I wish Waddles was here to see this!" Mabel exclaimed, though her grin faded for a second as she thought of the pig she had been forced to leave behind at home. Rolling his eyes, he have his twin a tired look.

"Mabel, he wasn't allowed to come because we're staying at a hotel that doesn't allow pets."

"Waddles is more than just a pet, Dipper! He's my bestest friend!"

Mabel then went on to enthuse about her pig, Pacifica listening with a bemused smile on her face. Dipper, deciding he should perhaps leave them alone for a minute or two, went to the buffet table of breakfast goods and looked over the selection. It appeared like bacon, bacon, and, surprise surprise, more bacon. That must have been why she had been reminded of Waddles, he thought at he covered his plate with bacon, as well as the last pancake available on the table, getting a death glare from a small white girl who had been reaching for the same treat. Shooting her an apologetic smile, he rushed over to the coffee pot, which had a ten person long line. Groaning, Dipper contented himself to waiting, taking a bite of the bacon to curb his hunger.

Letting his mind wander, Dipper lost focus of the room, his eyes glazing as he recalled the dream he had the night before, his body shivering with the remembrance of the phantom touch. He tried not to think of the cause of said dream, knowing that it would just confuse, embarrass, and quite possibly anger him. After all, the prince had been very rude.

As lost in his thoughts as he was, Dipper didn't notice as a silence went over the room, hushed whispers replacing the steady sound of sleepy conversation. It wasn't until he heard a frighteningly familiar voice over the speakers, in fact, that he even looked up from his plate of nearly gone bacon, skin paling as his eyes found the source of the voice.

Standing on the little stage that Dipper had not noticed against the farthest wall from him was Prince Cipher, dressed as immaculately as ever. Still with the bow tie, Dipper thought absently, eyes roving the figure dressed in yellow. His bright blond hair was sleeked back, showing off his golden eyepatch, and atop his head was a top hat, like something seen in the Ancient Days. Dipper had to give the guy some credit; he really did know how to dress. Whether he was dressed handsomely or ridiculously, however, Dipper was uncertain. He realized then that Cipher had been speaking for the past minute, something he was reminded of when the room let out a collective, awkward titter, like the prince had said something that he had clearly meant as funny, but had fallen way flat.

Focussing on the man, Dipper ignored the coffee line he was nearing the front of and listened to what the man had to say.

"-so adorable how you all think this Match will work out. Precious, really."

Rolling his eyes, Dipper turned back to the line and found that he was finally at the front. Letting out a silent 'thank you' to the coffee gods, he got himself two cups of coffee, listening with one ear to what Cipher had to say. It was mostly just garbage about the Matching Ceremony, its history, etcetera, interwoven with Cipher's own commentary, which alternated between nonsense that either made everyone confused, or insults that made everyone offended. All in all, an average speech by the Crown Prince.

Dipper finally ended back at his table, taking his seat next to Mabel, who was staring wide eyed at the prince. Mabel had had a bit of a crush on the man when she had been younger, which never really faded, to Dipper's knowledge. He had never really understood it, himself, but he supposed he could kind of see the appeal? If, of course, you ignored the fact he had a few screws loose, that is. And that he was a complete jerk. Little trifles, really.

"He's staring at you," he heard Pacifica mumble a minute later, her voice sounding confused. Looking over at her, he raised an eyebrow in question, to which she responded with a head nod to the stage, which could be seen easily from their spot on the side of the room.

Sure enough, as soon as Dipper looked up at the prince, his eyes met a single golden one, filled with mirth. There was a smirk on the man's face, even as he spoke of the utterly fascinating process by which they select the Matches, in which they use the highest technology available to essentially read the minds of the participant and assign them to another individual whom was most compatible with their results, whether that meant they were similar or opposites. It was very dry and boring information that most everyone knew, but Cipher still smirked, eye glued on Dipper.

To Dipper's horror, other people had started to take notice, turning to see who the prince was staring at, which made Dipper want to sink into his chair and never come out. Just when he thought the man couldn't embarrass him anymore, he thought bitterly, sending a glare that just seemed to amuse the prince even more. Even Mabel was looking around for who the prince was staring at, eyes bright with curiosity. He was thankful that she hadn't realized that it was him.

Finally, after another five minutes of staring and pointless information interspersed with scathing or nonsense comments, Cipher finished, stepping down from the stage with not even a farewell and left the dining room altogether. Dipper let out a silent sigh of relief, clapping politely with the others only so he didn't stand out.

As soon as the noise picked up, Mabel started enthusing about the prince, talking to Pacifica about how hot he looked, and speculations about who his Match was this year and if they would finally be a Perfect Match.

"Whoever gets him, I kind of feel sorry for. I mean, I agree, he's hot and all, but he's… kind of an ass. You know?" Pacifica claimed, taking a forkful of the eggs she had been lucky enough to snag before they had run out.

"Pacifica, you shouldn't say that. I think he'd grow to be just fine, if only he met the right person! I wonder who it was he was staring at through his speech though… maybe it was his Match!" Mabel shouted, bouncing up and down as she talked about her favorite topic; boys. Even if she 'swung all ways,' it seemed some things never changed. Dipper, however, was too busy choking on his bacon to fully notice. He could feel Pacifica's stare on him, the little frown she wore practically tearing through his flesh. Mabel's words kept echoing through his head, making his stomach drop like led.

It couldn't have been true, he knew that much. Cipher never would have gotten / _him_ / as a Match; they were nothing alike! For one, Dipper wasn't a complete jerk. For another, Dipper wasn't aristocratic. Every other Match Cipher had gotten had been from the upper class. And for another… well, it just wouldn't have worked out. Cipher / _never_ / had a Full Match, so he couldn't be Dipper's. Even with the fact he had been Unclaimed, Dipper still held onto the hope that his Match was a Proper Match. And he never would have had that with one William "Bill" Cipher, so it was frankly ridiculous that he was even entertaining the thought at all.

With that, he carefully took a sip of his coffee, grimacing at the bitter flavor, pushing all thoughts of Prince Cipher's Match out of his mind. Mabel kept on talking to Pacifica, completely ignoring Dipper's mild crisis, which he was thankful for. He had enough to worry about; he didn't need Mabel's hounding on him to add to it. Don't get him wrong, he loved his sister; he just wished she'd be less overbearing at times.

Soon enough, breakfast ended, everyone getting kicked out so the hotel could get started on the complimentary lunch they served. While the breakfast wasn't the best food Dipper had ever eaten, it was alright. Better than Stan's breakfast, at least. Stan cakes had forever ruined him, he feared.

Saying goodbye to Mabel and Pacifica, letting them go off and figure out how their Match was going to work, Dipper went back up to his room and got one of the books he had packed for the trip. It was a sci-fi mystery novel, about a murder in space. He had just gotten to the good part, where they found the body, and he was anxious to see what happened. He took a look out the window and noticed that it was nice out, the sun shining and hardly a cloud in the sky. Biting his lip, he hesitated a moment before deciding, what the hell, he might as well read outside. Packing some sunscreen and a towel to lie on if he found a nice piece of grass into his backpack, he headed back to the elevator and out the automatic front doors.

In the sunshine, Dipper took a deep breath, smiling as he felt the fresh air. When he had been a little kid, he had never appreciated fresh air. Then he had spent time in Gravity Falls and had no idea how he had ever lived in a place that / _didn't_ / have fresh air. As it was, he was currently in a city, but they were far enough in the outskirts that the air wasn't completely clogged with smog.

Walking along the sidewalk, Dipper took his time to look around, making sure to familiarize himself with the surroundings. It was a nice little place, he supposed, with green grass beside the sidewalk, little cobblestone paths running across them. There was a little pond a ways away, complete with ducks. There were a lot of people crowded around there, though, so Dipper moved on, wanting to find a nice, quiet place to sit down and read his book.

After walking for ten minutes in the opposite direction of the city, enjoying the scattered bushes of roses, peonies, and hydrangeas, he finally found a nice, relatively out of the way spot. Laying his towel out in the middle of a grassy field full of daffodils and other flowers he didn't know the name of, he laid on his stomach and began to read, taking out his little notebook and pen so he could write down all the details of the murder, needing to figure out the murderer before the book told him.

After that, he pretty much zoned out, the rest of the world fading away as he focussed entirely on the words in front of him. After only thirty pages of the hundred page book, he was positive he had figured out the murder, his eyes alight with glee as he wrote down his evidence. He still didn't know the motive, other than greed, or what the stewardess did with the bag of diamonds, but he still felt proud. He returned to the book with a vigor, going over the last ten pages again, just to make sure he hadn't missed any important detail.

He was so absorbed in his book, in fact, that it took him over ten minutes to realize that he wasn't alone anymore. Even then, it took him another minute to realize that he probably should look up and see whoever it was that had joined him on the towel and was humming quietly to them self.

In retrospect, he found that he probably should have expected it when he looked up and was met with the breathtaking image of the Crown Prince leaning back on his hands on the towel, eye closed as he faced up towards the sky, his hat on his lap and his hair no longer neatly gelled back, but messy, like he had run his fingers through it a bunch of times. After all, it was beyond obvious that someone out there hated him, so of / _course_ / he'd be forced to spend more time around the confusing man. As it was, Dipper felt his breath hitch as he gazed at the stunning man, the sun making him shine as bright as any star he had ever seen. He looked so innocent, so… angelic, that Dipper's mind froze, wondering how this could be the same man who was so cruel, so vicious during speeches and addresses. The same man who would sooner rip a person to shreds than save them. Unfortunately, his gasp caught the attention of said man, the prince blinking open his eye and lazily turning his head towards the boy, a small, lazy smile blooming on his face.

"Heya, Pine Tree. Saw you here, sitting all by your lonesome, and thought I'd grace you with my presence," Cipher told, his eye lidded as he stared at Dipper, that soft half smile making the boy's insides flip. Maybe he wasn't… "Didn't seem like you cared much, but that's fine. Not like I'm the Prince or anything, or like you should be honored I'm gracing your dirty peasant self with my esteemed greatness."

And that just ruined it.

To think, Dipper had actually begun to think that maybe there was more to Cipher than just snark, rudeness, and madness. What a pity.

"Oh, I'm so sorry I'm not bowing down to your impeccable greatness, oh high and mighty one," Dipper spat, still feeling raw over what had happened the previous night, not to mention that morning, what with the staring. He was caught off guard, however, when Cipher beamed at him, the white smile nearly blinding in the before noon sun.

"Apology accepted! Now, tell me, what is it that you're reading?"

Cipher looked at Dipper with a wide eye, full of what seemed like honest curiosity. Dipper was floored. First, had… had the prince honestly thought he was apologizing? Or was he being facetious? And second, did he honestly care about what he was reading? It seemed like he might, but… what would a Prince care about what Dipper was reading? However, as he was the prince, Dipper knew that he had to answer, or else he could get in trouble. Clearing his throat, Dipper gave the title of the book, which he hoped had been enough for the man.

"Huh. So what's it about, Pine Tree? Sex? Murder? Devilishly handsome princes?"

Apparently not. Biting his lip, Dipper wondered if he should tell the prince the story he had uncovered so far. Taking a look at the honest curiosity in the man's eye, Dipper caved and began to tell him the basic plot, how a wealthy man had gone on an intergalactic space tour, but had tragically been murdered in his cabin, with no noticeable wound, yet he had been completely drained of his blood and had been robbed of his jewels.

Upon seeing the curiosity in the man's eyes, Dipper continued with his explanation of the plot, going more into the backstory of the detective, as well as the overlying plot of the whole series. Before he knew it, an hour had passed with him rambling on and on about ideas he had for who the big bad was, as well as who had killed the main detective's wife (the twist being that it had been the detective's best friend), referencing the past notes he had made in his notebook more often than not, barely pausing for breath. In fact, for the entirety of the hour, Dipper didn't look up from the notebook nor did he stop speaking, not once, too engrossed with his enthusiasm over being allowed to explain his theories without being interrupted.

Finally, Dipper wound down, looking up from his notebook at last and, upon seeing the prince, remembered suddenly with horror just who his companion was. It wasn't Ford- who always let Dipper talk through his theories, sometimes adding his own, but usually waiting until the end to put in his two cents- but the Prince. The Mad, Insane Prince Cipher, who was never known to be quiet for a long period of time without getting angry at being ignored. It was with bated breath that Dipper watched the man, who had shifted so he was lying on his back, staring at the few clouds that passed by.

"So… yeah. T-that's, um. The plot. Of the, uh. Story," Dipper finished lamely, his heart pounding as he waited to get yelled at, waited for the man to call him names like everyone else did.

"Huh," was all the prince said, continuing to look up at the sky.

Well, it was better than he had feared, at least. He felt a pang inside that he had, obviously, been ignored for the past hour, the prince not actually interested in what he had to say. Dipper didn't mind, though; he was used to it, by that point. Plus, what care did a Prince have about a stupid Sci-Fi Mystery series meant for kids? Cheeks red, as was becoming the usual around the prince, he was about to say something, anything, else, when the prince turned his head and looked over at him, eye still lidded.

"So the main villain was the Detective's best friend? Seems kind of cliché, if you asked me."

Dipper stared at the prince with an open mouth for five seconds, before registering that he was talking about the book, which made the boy, for some reason, inexcusably happy.

"W-well no! No, the best friend was just the person who had killed the Detective's wife. The actual villain was this character in book three, who had helped him solve a case. However…" Dipper continued, going over more details that he had noticed, eyes bright as he enthused. This time, however, he wasn't looking down at his notebook, but directly at the prince, so he didn't miss the soft smiles, or the curiosity in his eye as he, now allowed the opportunity to speak, asked questions. It was everything Dipper had ever wanted as a child, someone who was roughly his own age (give or take five years) who actually / _cared_ / about what he had to say, about what he was interested in. Amazing that he found that in the prince of their kingdom, where he hadn't found it in his middle or high school.

That being said, he still wasn't sure if this was a trick or not. If Cipher would come out and call him a loser, or make fun of his theories. But as the minutes passed, it didn't seem likely, and eventually Dipper ran out of things to say about the books. Well, not really, but there wasn't much more he could say when the recipient hadn't read a single one.

So he fell silent and contented himself to watching Cipher, who had turned back to the sky and was watching the clouds once again.

"Hey, look! It's a triangle with a hole in the middle!" He heard Cipher exclaim a few minutes later, shattering the silence that had descended. Blinking, Dipper looked up, squinting at the bright light, and saw the cloud that Cipher had been taking about.

"Oh yeah, it kind of is," Dipper replied, looking back down at the prince, who looked far too happy for someone who had simply spotted his family's symbol in the sky. The man continued to look up at the sky, humming that same tune, the slow, creepy, and almost sad one. It was oddly… peaceful, Dipper found.

Shifting in his spot a little, Dipper debated if he should lie down and cloud gaze as well or not. As kids, he and Mabel had loved cloud gazing, the thrill of spotting different images in the sky astronomical to the two imaginative children. He hadn't had a chance to cloud gaze in ages though, what with high school and what not. However, now that he had the chance… but, he thought, looking over at Cipher, it wasn't exactly Mabel he would be gazing with. Biting his lip, he looked out at the field of daffodils and thought.

After a minute, he decided to throw caution to the wind and laid down, so he was shoulder to shoulder with Cipher, but not quite touching. Still, the boy felt his heart racing as he stared up at the clouds, his breath quickening as his nerves took over. He was just lying down, he thought furiously, trying to ignore the fact that their hands were close to touching. It's ridiculous, he told himself, to feel nervous.

"So, how's the Match?" Cipher asked conversationally a few minutes later, like he was completely oblivious to Dipper's inner struggles. Though, he just might be, since it was a stupid thing to be worrying about anyway. With a quick inhale, Dipper shrugged, forgetting that the prince couldn't see him. He wasn't sure if he wanted to answer or not, but staring at the sky made him feel brave, so he decided to risk it and hoped that Cipher would continue being strangely nice and not mock him.

"I, uh. I was Unclaimed. I'm going to meet my Match on Monday, before the ceremony."

It made his palms sweat to say, as he recalled his nerves at meeting his Match right before the ceremony. As well as the hurt, especially since his Match hadn't tried to contact him at all, which had been another possibility. After all, Primary People were given a little slip of paper with the person's name, birthdate, eye color, height, weight, and their ID photo. So it was near impossible that his Match didn't know who he was, especially since they all were staying in the same hotel.

"Hmm, tough break, kid. Hear it's not fun, being Unclaimed. Wouldn't know, though, since I'm more the type who does the Unclaiming," Cipher muttered, a soft chuckle being released. Dipper blinked, looking over at the prince with a frown.

"You're right, it's not fun. Why… why don't you Claim your Matches? Is it because they're not Proper Matches?"

As soon as Dipper asked, he regretted it. In addition to not being polite, it wasn't advisable to mention to a man as unstable and unpredictable as Prince Cipher all of his failed Matches. Dipper waited with bated breath as he saw Cipher frown, before turning his head to face Dipper. The boy didn't even notice how close their faces were, with the fear he felt. Yet strangely, it wasn't just fear for his life or his feelings he was worried about. No, he… he felt afraid that he had offended the man, after he had been kind enough to listen to him ramble on and on about nonsense.

Then, Cipher looked back up the sky and shrugged, folding his arms across his belly.

"Nah. It's easier to meet the Matches at the ceremony, so that I get the two days to observe them without them acting all weird, like the first one did," a pause, "Not many people know this, Pine Tree, but that first Match was actually really close to being Perfect. Could have been with him and it would have been fine. But…" Cipher trailed off, before shrugging. "But he acted all weird. Told the advisors point blank I wouldn't marry him, so I might as well not even try. They made up that excuse that he wasn't a Perfect Match, so it didn't seem like I was being fickle or anything. After that, I observed my Matches, seeing if they'd actually be a good fit or not. None of them were. And it wasn't even a lie when they said they were partial Matches, so the King didn't even mind all that much."

Dipper mulled that over, looking back up at the sky, feeling a bit of warmth in his belly that the prince had confided in him that private information. It was like he actually mattered. It was getting harder for Dipper to remember why he had disliked the prince in the first place. He tried not to feel worried about that fact.

"And what about this Match? What do you think about them?"

He had asked it mostly without thinking, but found that he was honestly curious about the answer. A few moments passed in silence, which made the boy feel self-conscious. He turned his head and was about to apologize, when he came face to face with the prince, who was looking at Dipper with a considering expression. Dipper felt his heart stop as he finally realized just how close his face was to the prince's. His eye, Dipper realized absently, had flecks of green, blue, and red in it, which made it look like a crown. It was utterly beautiful and mesmerizing, and Dipper was having a hard time looking away.

"Tell me, Pine Tree," the man whispered, his two toned voice merging into one, silky tone, "have you ever kissed someone before?"

And at that, Dipper's heart stopped. He could feel his lips go dry, but he didn't dare dart his tongue out to wet them. Had he… had he heard that correctly?

"W-what?" He croaked, voice cracking. Cipher let out a small smile, eye alight with amusement.

"You heard me, Pines. Have you ever kissed someone before?"

Well, wasn't that a personal question. Dipper gently bit his lip as he thought, wondering how to answer. Because, quite frankly, the answer was no. Unless he counted that 'kiss' with Mermando, which he very much / _did not_ , / no matter what Mabel said. He had gotten close, when he had been sixteen. He had asked this girl out and he had managed to build up the courage to kiss her across the table, but he had missed and accidentally kissed her cheek instead. He had tried again, to see if he could make it that time, but somehow his tie had managed to get into the candle, the whole thing setting ablaze, causing the sprinklers to come on, ruining his date's nice, new dress. He hadn't gotten a call for a second date, and after that he had kind of given up on dating, since he and Mabel had moved to Gravity Falls, so he could focus on the supernatural with Ford, and so Mabel could learn about being a business manager.

However, how exactly did he mention that to Cipher without sounding utterly pathetic? Eighteen years and not a single kiss. Though, maybe… maybe that would change, he thought as he looked Cipher in his golden eye, heart fluttering. With the thoughts of how close he was to the man, he completely forgot about the question he had asked the prince, the one that had prompted the question about him having been kissed.

"I-I… n-no, I-I've not. Not, not really," he stammered, his heart in his throat. The other man was so close… so close. All he had to do was lean in, just a little bit more and…

"Ha! I knew it!"

What?

Dipper stared, open mouthed, as Cipher leaned back and cackled- full on / _cackled_ /. He was beginning to realize what had happened, and felt his heart tug painfully, though he almost didn't notice it with the rising anger he felt.

"Ahaha, it's funny, Pine Tree. 'Course you've never kissed someone, you're too shy. Unless someone else kissed you, you'd never strike up the courage. Ha!" Cipher was still chortling as he sat up, stretching his long limbs as he made to stand up. Dipper felt his lips curl into a sneer as he stared at the man, his heart clenching, but he refused to acknowledge it. To acknowledge it meant to admit that he had let Cipher get to him. And that would never happen. / _Ever_ /.

"You are a complete and total asshole, Cipher," Dipper ground out, his hands clenching as he glared. Cipher stared back, eye cool and amused.

"Yeah, so? I also happen to be your Prince, Pine Tree, so I'd be a bit nicer if I were you, and not call me such hurtful names. Anyway, it was fun, listening to you prattle on about a stupid book, but if you'll excuse me, I've got some actually important things to do, back at the castle. Bye!"

And with that, he was gone, flouncing off towards where the castle presumably was.

Good riddance, Dipper thought, trying to hide the tears that were gathering unbidden in his eyes. It was so stupid, he thought angrily. Of / _course_ / Cipher hadn't wanted to kiss him. Of / _course_ / he hadn't actually cared about what he had to say. / _Of freaking course_ /. So why did it hurt so bad to learn that he had been so utterly stupid to think otherwise?

Taking a deep breath, Dipper rolled onto his stomach and put his head in his arms, shutting out the world like he had once done as a child. He could feel his body shaking, but he wasn't going to let the tears spill. He refused. He was stronger than that.

However, he soon realized, he wasn't, actually, as fat, heavy tears began spilling from his eyes, his body shaking terribly from the sobs.

After a while the tears stopped and he felt like he could sort of breathe again. God, he hated that man. Hated him more than he hated anything. To think he thought that Cipher might have had some good in him. / _No_ /. He was rotten, to the core.

With that thought, Dipper began packing up his things, rolling the towel up and putting it and his book and notebook away in his little backpack. With a sniff, he set off across the field, finding the sidewalk again and heading back to the hotel. Once there he went straight to bed, skipping lunch. Mabel came into the room later that day, asking what was wrong, but he just ignored her, even when she threatened to tickle him. Eventually she left him alone, but that just made things worse, in some regards, since he was alone with his thoughts again.

He hated it when people made a fool of him. He had gotten that enough in elementary through high school; he had thought it would have ended with his eighteenth birthday. But no. He was / _still_ / laughed at, / _still_ / made fun of. And to think he had actually let his guard down. Ugh, how stupid was he?!

Never again, he promised himself harshly. He'd never let this happen again. It hurt too much to fall for this trap. If Cipher ever tried to show himself as anything other than a jerk, well… Dipper would tell him where he could stick it!

Because Dipper was done being the butt of a joke.

Especially by someone he might actually have started to…

Dipper put his head down and started to cry again.

* * *

So, next chapter I go more into Dipper's past experiences with Bill, since of course Dipper grew up with Bill in his life; Bill's the prince of the kingdom. It's like how Americans hear about Malia and Sasha, or Brits hear about Prince George and Princess Charlotte. I'm mentioning this now so that y'all know that I will explain why Dipper kind of... flip-flops on his opinion of Bill.

See you next week, unless I'm too swamped with college to post. :-)


	4. Exposition, Nothing but Exposition

Hi! I managed to find the time to post this today! Yay!

I have nothing to say, but I ask that you all read the end notes since I have a couple things to talk about. :-)

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Four: Exposition; Nothing but Exposition for Miles to See.

Dipper remembered the first time he had ever seen the prince, on the TV. He had been around five at the time, his mother and father watching the monthly addresses like any self-respecting adult in their kingdom. The prince had just turned ten, which had meant he had been old enough to start appearing at the addresses with the King, even though there hadn't been much he could say about the topic of interest. Dipper remembered looking at the prince and feeling enchanted. After all, he was a prince! Like something out of one of the fairytales his parents had told his sister and him as children.

It didn't hurt that, even back then, the prince had dressed immaculately, looking very dapper in a yellow three piece suit, the little black tie hung delicately from his thin neck. As a person who had always appreciated a well-dressed individual, especially one who was a kid like him, little Dipper had been completely and utterly enchanted, willingly watching the address for the first time.

It had been then that he had first heard tale of the prince's madness, as well. He distinctly recalled his father whispering to his mother, muttering about how it was a shame what had happened to the boy. His mother had replied that it was tragic, but that it made sense. After all, watching your older brothers die, and then using one of their bodies as a shield at the tender age of two and a half did tend to drive one to madness, not to mention the fact his mother had been carted away three years later, driven mad after the death of two of her three sons. Dipper had asked, then, what madness meant, and his parents had gotten really quiet before changing the topic.

It had been a couple more years before he learned what his parents had meant, and even then it was only because he had overheard a group of kids whispering on the playground, a quiet conversation on the 'condition' of the prince.

"I hear he likes to strap people in his dungeon and torture them," one of the girls had whispered.

"Well, I hear he sometimes leaves the castle for hours at a time, only to return covered in blood!" whispered another.

"I hear he once killed a man in cold blood, right in front of the whole court!"

The rumors continued to be whispered, gasps and giggles filling the air as the group spoke. Dipper had listened with rapt curiosity, eyes wide as he heard the list of supposed crimes. When he went home that day, he had told his parents what he had heard, eyes wide and already halfway to believing every one. His mother, however, had simply frowned and sat him down, explaining that the young prince had done nothing of the sort and that it was just the fanciful imaginings of second graders. He had felt a margin of shame and embarrassment, for believing the lies so quickly, but had nodded dutifully as he mother informed him that, while Prince Cipher might not be the same as everyone else, there was nothing wrong with him and his differences didn't mean he was a psychopath.

However, he had learned, that day, exactly how the people felt about the prince. Most thought of him as a joke, making up the most ridiculous rumors, with the rest thinking of him as something to pity. Poor Prince Cipher, driven mad by the murder of his brothers. Yet… Dipper hadn't exactly fallen into either category. Sure, it was sad, to know the prince wasn't all there, but Dipper didn't think he needed pity or anything. After all, he seemed competent enough during the addresses, if a little harsh at times. And he certainly wasn't a joke, a fact the whole kingdom learned when the prince had been fifteen.

For years the King had striven to eliminate the group of individuals that had invaded his castle and taken his beloved heirs, leaving him with a barely sane son who was the laughing stock of the kingdom. When the prince had turned fifteen and a half, he had joined his father's crusade, much to the kingdom's amusement.

However, Dipper would always remember the day that the prince had stood on the platform where speeches took place, his face as hard as stone as he spat vitriol about the group, who had called themselves 'freedom granters.' The whole kingdom had shivered at the look in the usually nonsensical young man's eye, the hatred and anger he felt plain as he demanded the world to give up any scrap of information they had about the group. And then, a handful of months later, Dipper recalled watching, along with the rest of the nation, as Prince Cipher had sentenced the last member of the group to death, his voice and eye alight with a righteous glee as the man had been dragged away. After that, no one considered the prince a laughing stock, with the vivid reminder of how powerful the young man truly was, though the whispers about him being a psychopath doubled, Dipper's middle school alive with rumors about the people the prince had murdered.

Dipper didn't know exactly how old he had been when it had started to become the cool thing to have a crush on the prince, but he thought it must have been when he had been twelve, a year after people had begun respecting the prince and a year away from the prince's first Matching Ceremony. As a child, the prince hadn't been anything special; long limbs, pointy features, and a high pitched, nearing whiny voice, not to mention all of the rumors about his madness and psychopathy.

At seventeen, though, the prince had begun to grow into himself, his body elongating to match his limbs, his face shifting enough that the sharp features began to look endearing, rather than silly. And his voice… it had changed, gaining a two tone quality, a deeper sound adding to the higher one. Many people had claimed him to be a demon, his voice too unnatural and too strange, but no one ever really believed that rumor. It was just something unique about the prince that made him, strangely, more attractive to young girls (and quite a few boys), Mabel being one of them. Dipper had been forced to listen to hours upon hours of his sister enthusing about the prince, what he had worn that day, how his hair looked. How- ugh- _sexy_ his voice was. That summer had not been fun, trying to solve the mystery of Gravity Falls all while his sister refused to shut up about the prince.

Yet Dipper hadn't been able to deny the claims. The prince _had_ looked good, his grin wide and blinding; his smirk mischievous and playful. Dipper would never admit to anyone, not even himself really, but it was clear that the enchantment he had felt as a child had never really faded, nor would it really ever. The prince was a larger than life character, his mannerisms exaggerated, yet precise. Like he knew exactly what he was doing, even when it seemed like there was no rhyme nor reason to his actions. Like the time he had left the castle for two weeks without any warning, returning with only a shrug in response, simply saying he had wanted to wander. It was hard not to feel attracted to such a character, like a moth to a flame. And the madness… as his mother had said, all it did was make the prince different, but not bad.

But then the prince had begun to show his true colors.

Now, the prince had always had a mouth on him, frequently insulting a visiting Noble, or giving a scathing remark to the wait staff, but as a child it had been excused as simple childish consternation. Dipper himself had never noticed it much, since he had had his own moments of anger, especially between the ages ten-thirteen. As the prince had neared his eighteenth year, however, the kingdom grew less and less tolerant of the increasingly harsher comments the prince dished out during the speeches he had taken to giving every so often. Comments about how the nation was circling the drain with peasants who couldn't even plant their crops properly (back when the kingdom had been going through a lack of food) or comments about the police doing as much crime as they prevented, laughing all the while at the 'peasant's' plight. Pretty soon, the people stopped viewing the comments as charming and started seeing them as they really were; rude.

It didn't stop people from loving him, though. Many people, the same who would once mock the prince for his insanity, would look past his comments, sometimes saying they were accurate so it didn't matter how rude they were. Dipper would hear the very same people who made him feel worthless on a near daily basis glorify the prince, smiling smugly as their own actions were justified by the prince's.

However, Dipper, who had recently turned thirteen and thought himself an expert on all matters, hadn't understood how people could look past something as glaringly wrong as those comments were. He had been told since a child that a person was bad when they insulted someone else, and if the prince kept insulting other people, well… he must have been bad, right? He was a bully and Dipper especially hated bullies.

After that, any hints of admiration were buried promptly, a growing disdain filling its place. After all, Dipper could excuse madness; it wasn't the man's fault he wasn't all there. But rudeness? There was no real excuse for that, none that the thirteen year old boy could see, at least. He had stopped listening to news about the prince after that, his interest in the man waned, even as the speculations about his Match ran rapid around his school. For several months Dipper focussed solely on school and his few friends, ignoring the news, even though he had to force himself at times. It was glorious- to be so detached from the prince- he told himself.

And then the Matching Ceremony came and went, with the whole nation feeling bewildered when the prince only got a Partial Match and subsequently denied them. But more than that, the nation felt perplexed about the fact that said Match had been male. Dipper had been forced to focus on the prince after that, his curiosity too much to not listen; not to mention that news about the man was _everywhere_.

Now, the thought that same sex relationships were wrong had died out with the Great Wars, but it was still something people would whisper about, behind their hands as they stared at the couple in question. A novelty, he supposed. Learning the prince had been Matched, even partially, with a man had been shocking. Well, to some. As many people in his middle school would whisper, it wasn't that big a shock when you looked at how put together the prince always looked. No man cared that much about his looks without having some attraction to his own gender, they insisted.

Dipper had just scrunched his nose at those comments, thinking them backwards and ridiculous, but there was no denying that the prince felt some amount of attraction to his own gender. Complete attraction, in fact, as they would learn over the next four years, when every Match turned out to be male. It had made Dipper's insides squirm to realize, though he refused to ever think about why the prince's personal preference mattered to him at all.

Every year that had passed- with each new Match coming away as only Partial- left the nation with more pity for that man, all of them knowing how hard it was to constantly be denied their True Love. Even Dipper had grown to feel something for the man, something that was less than pity but more than indifference, even though he had still detested his horrid personality. No one deserved to be alone, though, no matter what.

Yet that was what the prince seemed destined to be, everyone whispered, causing the weird pity to grow inside Dipper. It was more vibrant that year as he got ready for his Ceremony, the feeling of nerves so great that he felt bad for the man who had done this four times and yet still hadn't found his match.

And it was that cursed pity that Dipper felt that was the cause of his current predicament, he thought miserably as he curled up under his blanket, body shaking with the tears he had been shedding on and off for the past hour as he thought unwillingly of the memories he had had of the prince, memories that regrettably ended with his embarrassment and subsequent anger and sorrow. But, he thought as he stared at his blanket, it had been that pity, that thought of how horrible it must be to constantly be denied that made him view the prince as anything more than the ass he truly was.

Because the man wasn't anything more than an ass. He knew it. Hell, the whole _kingdom_ knew it. Even as a young child he had seen it, in the smirks and the cruel laughs, though he hadn't been mature enough to notice fully how awful that man truly was.

The only reason he had felt anything other than hatred, he was sure of now, was that he had felt sorry for the man. After all, Dipper had always been a bleeding heart, unable to ignore it when someone had told him a sad story. It was why he had felt anything at all for the prince, in fact, even as a child. The man's madness had caused his heart to go out to him.

It didn't matter, he refused to think, that he had never really felt pity for the prince, not even when hearing about the failed Matches. Pity was not quite the word he would use, to describe the churning in his gut and clenching in his heart every time he saw the man reject another Match, each time his eye dimmer than the last, the madness a little bit brighter in his smile. However, as he didn't want to name that emotion, pity was the only explanation for his momentary lapse of sanity. Going over the prince's whole life had made one thing clear to him; the man was pitiable. He was mad, he was unlovable. He was likely going to go through his entire life alone. And that made Dipper pity him.

Yet that was all it was. Pity. And even that was gone, now. He didn't feel sorry for the man; hell, the man deserved everything he got, Dipper now thought with a vengeance. He didn't deserve the pity. Not after what he had done. Not after he had humiliated him for a, a laugh!

Dipper took a deep breath, and tried to stop the tears. It was pathetic, crying so hard about something so stupid. Cipher didn't deserve his tears, that much was sure.

A few more minutes passed, his breathing steadying, when his stomach let out a loud growl, reminding the boy about the fact he had missed lunch. Biting his lip softly, he contemplated whether or not he should go down or stay up in his room where it was safe; to not eat or to brave the world to try and find one of the restaurants that were littered around the area they were in, since the hotel didn't serve complimentary dinner. He could always get room service, but the cost would be charged to his parents instead of him, and he didn't want to make them pay more than they had to. So, with a sigh as his stomach grumbled once more, Dipper got up, wiped off his cheeks, and exited the room, yanking his hat on to try and hide the mess that was his hair.

Leaving the hotel, Dipper took the opposite path to the one he had taken that morning, going on the path that would lead him into the city and to the strip mall he had heard was nearby. He looked around as he went, his heart clenching as he saw Matches walking hand in hand, smiling sweetly at one another. Stuffing his hands in his pocket, he marched down the path, grumbling under his breath about how stupid love was. He did his best to ignore the fact that he was starting to sound a bit like Grunkle Stan.

Finally, after about ten minutes, the boy reached the strip mall, the colored lights bright and enticing. Despite himself, Dipper felt himself smile a little. He had always loved going to strip malls as a child, since it felt like an adventure to explore the tiny shops and find whatever interesting wares they sold. He hadn't been to one in ages, ever since he and Mabel had moved to Gravity Falls for good, so it felt nice to stand here, looking at the small, somewhat dirty mall. Maybe this would be able to lift his spirits, he hoped quietly.

He was about to go searching the stores for hidden treasures when his stomach let out another embarrassingly loud growl, reminding him of why he was there. Giving a nervous smile to the couple who had turned to see what the noise was, he scurried off to try and find something small to eat, willing the red in his cheeks to fade.

It didn't take him long to find a small restaurant that sold tacos. With a- only slightly tight- smile, he entered the place, enjoying the homey feel the room had. The walls were a warm brown color, with cream colored carpeting. The room itself was littered with tables and booths, both made of brown polished wood with red upholstery, with people scattered around, chatting as they ate. He caught the attention of the waitress and got himself a small booth to himself, positioned so he could see the small TV that resided in the corner of the room. Smiling a more real smile, he took the menu and searched for something that looked interesting, pushing everything negative to the back of his mind. He wouldn't think on it- that was all. There was nothing wrong with a little denial now and again.

It was as he was reading about a fish taco that contained a creamy jalapeño sauce that he heard that stupid, grating voice that he hated more than anything.

The boy froze in his place, his heart stopping as he let out a curse to the heavens above. Dipper's head shot up, eyes darting around wildly for the blond head that he was getting far too familiar with. He felt confused, however, when he didn't see him. It took a few more seconds of looking around for the boy to realize that Cipher wasn't actually in the room; rather, he was on the TV, the news station the little taco shop was stopped on showing an interview with the prince himself, something about how he felt about this Match.

Dipper could hear that many of the patrons of the restaurant were watching the broadcast, speaking excitedly about the prince and who he might have gotten. All of a sudden Dipper felt sick, his appetite gone as he was reminded of what had happened earlier, his hope to live in denial ruined quicker than he had thought. Well, at least now he knew what had been the important business Cipher had mentioned, he thought blithely, staring down at his hands.

He grit his teeth and listened to a couple more moments of the interview, in an attempt to prove to himself that he wasn't weak and didn't have to run if he heard Cipher's voice, but then the prince laughed his weird laugh and Dipper couldn't take it anymore. With an apology to the waitress, Dipper sped out of the store, heart thumping so loud he was sure everyone in the mall could hear it.

Great, he thought miserably as he kicked a rock along the sidewalk. Cipher was now preventing him from eating. He sighed as he took a seat on a bench, putting his head in his hands.

This was ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. He was eighteen years old, he should have been able to handle being mocked by then. After all, he had had enough practice. He had learned a long while before that you couldn't get along with everyone, so it was easier to just ignore the bullies and live his life as he saw fit. Cipher didn't deserve his upset, or even his anger. The man didn't deserve a single second of thought wasted on him.

It didn't make things hurt less, though. Dipper didn't even understand _why_ it hurt so much, which was likely his biggest issue, he thought. It hadn't been _that_ bad, in all honesty. Most of the fault had been his own, for actually believing the prince could be more than he had proven himself to be. Dipper knew the prince was a jerk. So why had he ever thought otherwise? It was his fault for believing Cipher could be more than he was.

It didn't excuse Cipher, though. It had been clear that he knew what he was doing, and yet still had done it. No apology, just a cruel smirk and a harsher goodbye. He had to have known the effect he had had. After all, Dipper was known to be an open book, his emotions written all over his face. So there was no excuse.

Dipper let out another sigh, his stomach clenching from the lack of food, but the boy ignored it. His heart hurt more than his stomach, so he didn't feel like getting up right then. Part of him wished Mabel was there, even though she'd try to get him to tell her what was wrong. Mabel was the best person to have when you were down, since she wouldn't stop until you were happy as a clam. It was one of the things he had always loved most about his sister; she cared very deeply about those closest to her and would do anything to make them happy and healthy.

But Mabel wasn't there. She was with Pacifica, likely having the time of her life with her Match.

And that, Dipper thought as he put his head in his hands, clutching the hair around his hat, brought up the other issue he was having. His Match. He had almost forgotten his heartache about that, with his issues with Cipher.

Well, perhaps he should have felt grateful to Cipher, then, he thought drily. At least he had distracted him from his Match woes.

With a deep breath, Dipper sat up and stared out ahead of him, gathering himself. Things weren't good. He had been stood up by his Match for what had supposed to have been their initial meeting. He had run into the prince- literally- and the man had proceeded to make a nuisance of himself, refusing to leave him alone. He still hadn't seen hide nor hair of his Match, a full day later. But he was still alive. He still had his sister. And he was still standing, even if he had been beaten down a little.

As long as he could say that, things would be alright. He was positive of that fact. So, with another deep breath, Dipper stood up and wandered the mall some more, looking at the displays presented in the windows he passed, before finally stopping in a restaurant that looked promising. And that didn't have a television, he thought quietly as he took his seat at a two person table by the window.

He would be fine. Nothing that happened this weekend would harm him irreparably. Broken hearts would heal, broken egos would mend. And after a while, he'd forget all about Cipher, and hopefully his Match would meet him either the next day or right before the Ceremony, an apologetic smile on their lips as they explained they were simply too nervous to meet him that first day and their nerves had prevented them from saying 'hi' the following two days. And even if they didn't, he'd still live. He'd find love somewhere else.

Nothing was permanent. None of this would matter in the long run. The world would keep turning, his heart would keep beating.

This pain wouldn't last forever.

Dipper ate his food and tried to believe his thoughts.

* * *

Hey all! Hope you liked the chapter. I have midterms next week, so I might be busy studying next week and won't have much time, but we'll see if I can take a ten-twenty minute break to post the chapter.

One thing I wanted to talk about is that some people are upset with Bill, and while I understand why, I wanted to defend him just a little. For one, he didn't actually mean to hurt Dipper's feelings. It was more... he felt uncomfortable and he subconsciously deflected. For another, he hadn't actually realized that his words would hurt Dipper. The way I see it, Bill doesn't really notice that his words hurt people. Like, he knows they do because people tell him they do, but it doesn't really mean anything to him. So I just wanted to clear that up. Bill hadn't meant to hurt Dipper, and he hadn't realized that it actually did. As you'll see next chapter, Bill does care.

Oh! And this is something about me, but I'm writing an original story! I'm taking the time when I'm trying to sleep to write out a novel length story. I was wondering if anyone would actually be interested in reading it? I'm not sure if I'll post it online or if I'll try to get it published (depends on how good it turns out to be) but if anyone would actually want to read something original I wrote, let me know! The story itself is kind of religious (I'd say biblical, but I focus more on Jewish beliefs since I am Jewish), but it's about a man who makes a deal with the devil, and as punishment Lucifer tries to take his sons' lives. The man takes his sons and runs, doing his best to keep them all safe despite all the obstacles and demons Lucifer is sending their way.


	5. Shopping, Every Man's Curse

Writing is hard and I hate it.

Hi all. This chapter... well. This chapter. I don't like it. I hope it's not as bad as my perfectionist mind is insisting it is.

Regardless, this chapter is a lot more light-hearted than the last few. That might be my issue with it; I've never liked writing light-hearted things. They always come across as false and weird. There's still some angst, since I'm me and require a modicum of angst in order to feel content, but it's not as prevalent as it had been. Hope y'all like it.

Anyway... thanks for all the comments and kudos/favorites. It means a lot to me.

Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter Five: Shopping; Every Man's Curse

Dipper sat at the breakfast table the next morning, nibbling some bacon while he listened in bemused horror as Pacifica ranted on and on about something he thought had to do with fashion and the lack of it that the city dwellers had. The best he could figure, she appeared to be complaining about how the city was supposed to be the fashion capital of the kingdom and yet the citizens were all 'drab' or whatnot, but he was having a hard time following all the tangents the girl kept going on, at one point talking about her tenth birthday party and a runaway monkey. He just nodded along when she would direct a question at him, not wanting to deal with the consequences of not agreeing, even though he hadn't a clue what he was agreeing to.

Just as he was about to say something to stop the rambling fashion rant, the hotel staff made the announcement that breakfast was over and requested that they all leave the dining room. It was with a silent sigh of relief that Dipper stood, grimacing as he saw Mabel excitedly grab Pacifica's hand, grinning widely. He was starting to think that he might want to sit somewhere else in the mornings, so he didn't have to watch his twin get all chummy with his former enemy. That, however required him to make some friends, which seemed unlikely to happen considering who he was. Unless he wanted to sit alone in the corner like a sad loser who hadn't been Matched, he would have to suck it up and watch his sister fall hopelessly in love with Pacifica. After all, it was better to let everyone think he was in a polyamorous Match or something than to be alone and pitied. So the boy sighed, following the pair out of the dining hall and into the main lobby.

Just as the boy was about to head back upstairs, thinking he could maybe read more of his book (in the comfort of his own room, to avoid any more… incidents), Mabel grabbed his shoulder with the hand not holding Pacifica's and made a tutting sound.

"Where are you going, Dip-Dop? We're going into the city today! Pacifica wanted to go shopping!" Mabel enthused, bouncing up and down in her excitement.

Dipper, however, frowned, trying to remember when he had agreed to go 'shopping' with his sister- which, typically, consisted of less shopping and more carrying, on his part. Not that he minded tremendously that he didn't participate in the activity, since he hated shopping for himself, but it was not fun to carry dozens upon dozens of bags. While his arms had lost their noodle-iness of childhood and had gained some amount of muscles, it still hurt.

"Mabel, what? When did I agree to go shopping with you? What?"

It was when he saw Pacifica smirk that he realized what likely had happened and groaned with exasperation.

"I asked you during my rant and you had nodded agreement. Legally binding!" Pacifica declared, grinning almost as wide as her Match. Dipper glared at his sister, knowing it was her who had come up with the idea, since she had used to do it all the time when they were younger to get him to agree with something she wanted. She had only stopped when he started wising up to her schemes, but it seemed that she had decided to try and see if it worked when Pacifica did it, since the girl was someone he wouldn't expect it from. He was starting to wonder who would be a worse influence on who.

It was with a defeated sigh that he resigned himself to a day of being a professional bag holder, following the girls with a dejected look at the elevator. He briefly considered arguing, claiming that he hadn't known what he was agreeing to, but then he would have walked into the minefield that was 'so you weren't actually listening to me?!' It was better, all around, to just grin and bear it.

Plus, he thought as he looked at his sister and Pacifica, at least he wouldn't be alone the entire day. He had never done well, being alone with himself for too long a period of time. Sure, an hour or two now and then was fine. Appreciated, even. But anything longer than a day was too much. Hiding away in his room might seem like a good idea in theory, but he knew it wouldn't be one in practice. If it took being a glorified bag holder to starve off that all-encompassing loneliness, then he supposed he'd deal. Plus, he knew that if he stayed in his room alone, he'd begin to fret about the next day, which he was firmly trying to keep from thinking about for fear of throwing up. Or the thing (or rather person) that he had made a vow to not think of the night before, after an hour of fruitless tossing and turning while his mind filled with thoughts of a person he was not going to think of. All in all, being alone would not have been a good idea.

He reminded himself of this as they reached the bus stop, the two girls excitedly talking about what they wanted to get, what the new 'in' fashion item was (bow ties, apparently. Dipper tried not to cry when he heard that). The bus arrived fairly quickly, a fact the boy was grateful for. The sooner the day ended, the sooner he'd be able to go to his room and read his novel.

"Ooh! Dipper, look! It's the Majesty! Ooooh!" Mabel squealed as they as they exited the bus, looking wide eyed at the biggest mall that side of the kingdom. Dipper had to admit that it was a sight to behold, glittering glass covering an intricately designed building, giant crystal statues positioned on either side of the entryway. As the three entered, Dipper had a minute to think that maybe this wouldn't be so bad, smiling at the giant fountain that was in front of the entrance, phone out to snap a picture.

~XoX~

He had been wrong, he thought frantically as he watched his sister dart into yet _another_ store, her Match dragging him in with her by the arm. It had only been an hour and yet it had felt like it had been years, his feet and arms so sore he wanted to cry. Sitting alone in his room, wallowing in his sorrow and fretting about the next day (and the person he wasn't thinking of) would have been better than this, he thought desperately as Mabel cooed over the most ridiculous dress he had seen in his life. Not that he'd mention that, though, smiling and saying it was great when she asked his opinion. He didn't have a death wish, after all.

It had been as bad as he had feared it would be that morning, all the bags dumped on him, containing all the numerous items the two girls purchased. Apparently Pacifica was footing the bill that day, allowing Mabel to go absolutely nuts with the frivolous things she bought. Clothes she'd never wear, knick-knacks that would sit on a shelf and collect dust. Even a gold-plated photograph of the prince, which had made Dipper grit his teeth and look quickly away.

"Mabel, are we done yet? We have enough things, I think," Dipper practically begged as they exited the shop, the ridiculous dress being added to one of the numerous bags in the boy's overly tired arms. He almost cried when his sister shook her head, happily bouncing over to another store that looked identical to the last.

"Nope! I still need to find something to wear to the Ceremony! You too, Dip-Dop!"

Heaving a large sigh, Dipper didn't even dispute the words, simply nodding tiredly and forcing his feet to move towards the shop. He could have argued that he didn't need an outfit, and that they had bought fifteen outfits already and that she could just wear one of them, but then he'd likely just get a lecture from both of the girls on how they were the wrong color, or the wrong cut, or some other ridiculous reason the two fashionistas would come up with. Fashion made no sense to him and he had long ago learned it was easier to just go along with it.

It didn't make it any less mind numbing, he brooded, watching as the two girls dug into a display of pink blouses that looked identical to a blouse they had already bought in blue.

It was another hour before the girls finally decided to take a break, chatting happily as they headed to the food court, Dipper following with intense relief. He was sure he let out an indecent sound when he finally set down the mountain of bags he had been carrying, but he didn't care. He rubbed his arms to try and get some feeling to return to them, glaring only slightly at his sister, who was steadfastly ignoring him in order to ask Pacifica what she wanted to eat. As the two girls wandered off to get them all a hamburger, the boy heaved a sigh of relief and sat back in his chair, eyes closing as he tried to pretend he was anywhere but at the mall, carrying a ridiculous amount of bags for only two girls.

For three wonderful, glorious minutes Dipper was able to sit and ignore the world, his mind blissfully blank as he sat and rested his beyond sore feet. Three minutes, so perfect that he would look back at that moment years in the future longingly, forever wanting to experience those minutes again. Three minutes, which were destroyed when he heard an amused voice call to him, forcing him out of that blissful experience and back into the real world. The real world, with all the issues that he had been hoping to forget.

"Geez, you sure you have enough things, Pine Tree? Or are you trying to buy out the entire mall? In which case, I think you might want to try hiring a bag carrier. They're very handy on such occasions!"

Issues like Prince William 'Bill' Cipher.

Dipper was positive someone up there hated him, in that moment. He usually wasn't sure if he believed in a higher power, but at that one moment in time, he knew, just _knew_ that someone was up there, laughing at the pitiful life of Mason 'Dipper' Pines. For a minute, the boy contemplated leaving his eyes closed, ignoring the prince and remaining in that perfect moment that had already been shattered.

However, when he felt someone start poking his face, he knew the prince would not let himself be ignored, and so, shooting the strongest curse he could think of to those merciless gods, the boy opened his eyes and glared at the finger that was inches from his cheek. With one last poke, the finger retreated back to its owner, which was probably a good thing, since Dipper had been one poke away from biting that finger off.

Gritting his teeth, the boy looked up at the face of the man he was really starting to hate, a rude remark on the tip of his tongue. It froze, however, when he saw what the prince was wearing.

"Is… is that flannel?!"

He could only stare in horror at the sight in front of him, the man in question grinning widely. In place of the usual three piece suit and bow tie was an unbuttoned yellow flannel over shirt, opened slightly to show off the ripped white t-shirt underneath. Instead of the usual dress pants, the prince wore ripped skinny jeans, dark black in color. His chin length hair was loose and wild, with his bangs coming forward to cover the golden eye patch from sight. If Dipper hadn't known better, he'd have thought the man to be a retro hipster, not the prince of their kingdom, who was renowned for being insanely meticulous and absolutely NOT someone who wore _flannel_ , of all things.

"Yep! Like it? My advisors told me it went well with my hair. Plus, it allows me to shop in peace, without all my adoring fans flocking me!"

The grin on the man's face, coupled with the voice that haunted Dipper's nightmares, forced the boy to believe what his eyes rejected. It was the prince. And he looked… well. Dipper had never much cared for the hipster look, thinking the prewar, early 2000's look to be outdated and ridiculous, but he found it hard to look away from the man in front of him, no matter how much he wanted to. And man would he want to, hating in retrospect the smug look Cipher had adopted after a full thirty second had passed and yet Dipper had still not said a word, his jaw open as he tried to think of anything to say. As it was, it was only when the prince reached over and gently closed the boy's mouth for him that Dipper realized he had been staring. It took another five seconds to get his brain back online, his face burning bright red the second he realized what he had implied with his silence, something the prince had obviously picked up on as he began to laugh uproariously, bending over onto the table he had taken a seat at, at some point while Dipper had been preoccupied.

"Oh! You are too adorable, Pine Tree! Absolutely _adorable_!" The prince exclaimed a full minute later, after he had managed to contain the laughter enough for him to breath. Dipper just burned brighter red, his heart thudding heavily with embarrassment. He suddenly felt small, like he had as a child, the bullies' words more biting than any knife could ever have been. But he wasn't about to let himself get pushed around, not like he had back then.

"I-I'm not adorable!" Dipper shouted, not caring as people from surrounding tables looked over, the boy too upset to even notice. Cipher just grinned lazily at him, a few more chuckles getting released.

"Yes you are, Pines. Utterly adorable. Like a puppy, or a misbehaving child. So cute," Cipher grinned, leaning forward to get into Dipper's face, his breath fanning warmly upon the boy's cheeks. Dipper ignored the twisting in his stomach at the proximity, putting all his effort into glaring at the prince.

"I'm not…" the boy began, before stopping, suddenly realizing that it wouldn't work. The prince's grin had grown, his eye alive with amusement as he watched him, waiting for him to continue, and all of a sudden Dipper felt too tired. It had been a long day, getting dragged all around the mall by his sister and the Love of Her Life, and he was just too tired to deal with this. He had tried to ignore his issues, had tried to move on with his life and move past the prince, but it seemed that the prince was determined to make a nuisance of himself. And Dipper… Dipper was just too tired to play along. Too tired and too spread thin to try and fight back. Not to mention he was still upset at the man, for the previous day, and knew that any words he said would come out wrong and make him feel even worse. So, he took one last look at the prince, before letting out a sigh and closing his eyes, leaning back in his chair.

"L-look. I'm not… I'm not feeling up to this today. I can't deal with you right now. So can you please… can you please just… leave me alone? Please?" Dipper begged, eyes closing tighter, a discontent frown stretching deep on his face. He didn't have any faith that the prince would listen, but he had to ask. Even if he got mocked, even if the prince got angry, he didn't have anything else to say. He couldn't fight back, as tired as he was, but he also couldn't just say nothing. The prince wouldn't allow that, he knew. So he asked an impossible question, vainly hoping the prince actually had an ounce of decency in him.

Silence reigned after that, even the noises from the crowded food court fading to the background as Dipper focussed on keeping himself from breaking down. He knew, though, that if the prince said one more word against him, he'd be unable to stop the tears. He hated himself for it, but he was just too tired. Mentally, physically, and especially emotionally. So many issues had been pressed upon him all at once and he had hoped that, for just this day, he could forget. Yes, he hated shopping. Yes, he hadn't wanted to become a third-wheel for his sister and her Match. But it had been better than this feeling. Even as he had felt exasperated at his twin's antics, he had secretly felt… relieved. It was normal. It was familiar. It wasn't the pain he had felt when speaking to the prince. It wasn't the panic he felt when thinking of his Match. It was… normal. And now that illusion of normalcy was broken and Dipper felt like he was falling apart at the seams.

The longer the silence stretched, though, the more anxious the boy got, his frown deepening by the second. Just as he was about to break, a desperate plea on the tip of his tongue, he heard the sound of a chair scrapping hurriedly against the ground, as well as the sound of someone clumsily getting up.

"I… yes. Yeah. I'll go," the prince faltered, his words for some reason sounding uncertain and slow, like he wasn't sure if he should be saying them or not. "I'll… see you around, Pine Tree. Later."

With that, the boy could hear the sound of a person retreating, the footsteps loud in Dipper's overly focussed ears. His heart frozen in his chest, Dipper dared not to open his eyes, certain he had imagined it, that Cipher was still there, that grin on his face as he mocked Dipper for actually believing he would listen to a request given by a peasant.

However, when the boy opened his eyes, minutes later, all he saw was an empty table, the prince nowhere in sight. He continued to stare at the empty seat for long minutes, mind blank, only stopping when his sister returned, Pacifica not far behind her.

"Ugh, the lines here are ridiculous! We're going to eat dinner at one of those restaurants we passed earlier, I swear," Pacifica promised, a grimace on her face as she set the tray full of greasy food down. Mabel just nodded, though she had a grin on her face as she took a seat.

"It wasn't that bad, Paz, but I agree with going to a restaurant! After all, we have to try Glimmer! I hear they have the best food, with edible glitter in everything! We have to go!"

After that the two girls began bickering good heartedly, Pacifica smiling fondly as Mabel demanded they go to Glimmer, while Pacifica claimed they should try a higher class establishment. Dipper felt relieved that they ignored him, as he was too drained and unfocussed to talk, his heart aching as he picked up his burger and took a bite. Had he felt better, he'd likely have enthused about the burger, claiming it was the best thing he had ever eaten. However, as upset and confused as he was, he couldn't help but think it tasted like ash.

He didn't know what to make of the prince. That much was clear. The same man who had cruelly teased and tricked him the other day was now listening to Dipper's desperate plea? After everything, he had actually listened? Why? Dipper didn't know. It wasn't like the prince could have felt bad or anything. The prince probably didn't even know that Dipper was hurt. Or if he did, it wasn't like he could have cared. Right? Cipher never cared when he hurt people with his comments or actions. It was just… a part of his personality. The prince didn't care enough about people to care if he hurt them. So it couldn't have been something about him caring that made the prince suddenly become self-aware of his actions.

And yet, even as he denied the prince's ability to care, Dipper couldn't help the small amount of gratitude he felt towards the man, taking a bite of his ashen burger. Regardless the reason, he had listened. It was… something. Maybe something small, maybe a trick, but something. And Dipper was willing to take anything he could get in this ever-changing world he had entered into ever since he had stepped off a train, out of his comfortable small-town life and into a city of uncertainty.

After a while Dipper realized that he had finished his burger and watched as his companions bounced up out of their seats, anxious to get back to shopping. Dipper, heart aching and mind tired, picked up the bags without a word, not even making a sound as the bags dug into his already sore shoulders, too tired to posture like normal. His behavior was so unusual, in fact, that Mabel took notice, frowning as she took in her brother's downcast eyes.

"Dipper? You okay there, bro-bro?" She questioned nervously, wondering if she had done something to make her brother upset. She had tried to include him in her and Pacifica's outing, knowing that if she hadn't he'd have just stayed in their room the whole day, moping about his Match and the Matching Ceremony that was taking place the next day _(!)._ Had she been wrong in insisting he come along?

She felt relieved when Dipper looked up, a small smile on his lips as he claimed he was fine, just tired. Reassured, Mabel turned back to her Match and began talking about where to go next, all thoughts of her brother pushed out with the excitement of shopping. After all, it had been a while since she had last had a good shopping spree with someone she really cared about.

Dipper just watched as Mabel spoke to Pacifica, his smile dying when his heart twisted painfully at the sight. Gritting his teeth, he followed the two, barely noticing the pain in his arms as more and more bags got added, his heart hurting more than anything else. He didn't understand Cipher. He really, really didn't. But he didn't want to think any more on the man. He had wasted enough time thinking about him already.

It was after another half an hour had passed that the trio passed by a store that sold suits, Mabel letting out an audible gasp as she looked into the window.

"On! Dipper, Dipper, look! That suit would look perfect on you, bro-bro! Come on, we have to get it!" she insisted, darting inside, forcing the other two to follow after her. Dipper felt apprehensive as he entered the shop, knowing that he was not going to enjoy this experience, but also knowing that there was little he could do to stop her. Not when he was feeling so dejected, at least.

At Mabel's request, he set the bags down next to a chair out of the way next to the window and went over to the display that Mabel had seen through the window, full of suits of all colors. As he passed a yellow suit vest, Dipper felt his heart clench, which subsequently irritated him. It was just a stupid suit. There was no reason for his heart to be acting all stupid. A bit of anger at this whole thing filled him then, replacing his previous lethargy, making Dipper turn to his twin and frown.

"Why are we in here, Mabel? I don't need a suit!" Dipper demanded, arms crossing as he looked at the suits with distaste. He always hated dressing up, feeling ridiculous every time he had been forced to do it. Suits were for people much more dignified than he was. His protest was token at best, as he knew his sister wouldn't listen to him, but at least it kept his mind off a certain prince. For a second.

"Yes you do, bro-bro. You are not going to wear that horrid orange shirt, gray shorts combo at the Matching Ceremony. I refuse it."

Dipper just sighed, rolling his eyes at the girl's words. After all, it wasn't like they did anything at the Ceremony. They just listened to the King make a speech about the importance of finding your True Love, then another speech by the organizer of the event, then another by the person who made the matches, then another, then another, before the King _finally_ officially granted them 'Matchhood'. Whatever that meant. Dipper always thought it was pretentious and overdone, but it was a regrettable consequence of being Matched; you had to go to the Matching Ceremony or else the Match wasn't 'official'. Not like it mattered, not really, but if you attended you got a plaque saying that you were official Matches and a lot of people thought they were cool, so Dipper didn't complain. However, that didn't mean he wanted to wear an uncomfortable suit, only to sit for four hours listening to people yammer about how Important their Match was.

Dipper watched as Mabel turned back to the display and went straight to the dark blue suits, briefly pausing at the baby blue ones, before passing them by. Good, Dipper thought with distaste, he absolutely would have refused a baby blue suit. It would have stood out way too much. Dark blue, though… that he could wear, if it wasn't too uncomfortable, if he was forced to. After a minute of digging through the rack, Mabel popped out, holding a suit that he assumed was his size.

"Aha! This is perfect! Don't you think, Paz?"

Pacifica looked at the suit critically, before nodding seriously.

"Yes, it should go nicely with his eyes. Bring out the gold from all the mucky brown."

Dipper would almost have felt insulted, but decided it just wasn't worth it. He watched as the two girls walked away, over to where a bunch of dress shirts laid, the two bickering over what would go best with the dark blue. With a sigh, Dipper walked over to the chair he had put the bags down next to and took a seat, closing his eyes to try and gather strength.

"You should try a three piece suit, you'd look nice in that."

Dipper let out a groan, opening his eyes angrily to glare at the man in front of him, whose head was tilted enough that the hair had fallen out of place, eye patch just barely visible. A flash of… _something_ hit him as he looked at the man before him, which he dismissed almost immediately. He forced the anger to flare inside of him, a small sneer finding its way onto his lips.

"Are you following me or something?!" Dipper demanded, hands clenching as he glared. He was so tired of this, of bumping into the prince everywhere he went. Could he not have just five minutes of peace?!

To his annoyance, the prince just shrugged, before taking a seat at the boy's feet, long limbs awkwardly folded as he looked up. Dipper felt his anger calm a little as his heart flipped, something so innocent about the man when he wasn't actively posturing and mocking. Plus, he was still confused as to what the prince was doing. Why he had left earlier. Why he wasn't acting all… rude, now.

"Saw you from the window and thought I'd say hi. I did say I'd see you later."

The boy sighed at the words, running a hand through his hair, dislodging his hat from his head, causing it to fall to the ground next to the prince. Cipher picked the hat up and examined it carefully, turning it over and over in his hands before finally handing it back. Dipper bit his lip as he placed it back on his head, wondering what he could say to the man.

"What do you want, Cipher? I already told you, I'm not in the mood for these… these games," he claimed softly, hoping that he didn't offend the man since he didn't want to start a fight, but not knowing what else to say.

"I do have a name, you know."

Dipper blinked down at the man, who was looking up at him with a small frown, eye squinted minutely. Dipper opened his mouth to say something, but closed it quickly, stumped as to what he could say in reply to that non sequitur. After all, everyone knew you weren't supposed to call royalty by their first name. It was either by title or, if necessity required it, by their family name. Never by the first. The only exception was if you were close to the royal in question, but Dipper barely knew the prince, so why…?

"I-I know," was all Dipper was able to come up with, eyebrows furrowed as he looked into the man's eye.

"Say it," Cipher muttered, staring, "say my name."

"I… B-Bill. Your name… it's Bill."

Well, that seemed to have an effect on the prince, Dipper thought bewilderedly, watching as a smile bloomed on the man's previously serious face, his eye lighting up like a sunrise. It was so bizarre, looking at the honest smile. Not a smirk, not a grin, but a smile. It was utterly beautiful, and any anger Dipper felt evaporated at the sight of it. That _something_ he had felt, however, grew, almost choking him as he stared.

"Yeah. It is! Good job, Pines!" Bill enthused, still smiling. Dipper had no words. The man had to be acting facetious… right? Dipper had no idea, anymore. However, one thing was clear; either this was an elaborate prank that the prince was pulling, or he actually thought that they were close enough that he thought Dipper could use his given name. Dipper was unsure which option he preferred.

"Anyway, as I said when I came over, I think you would look good in a three piece suit. I'd normally say yellow, as that is my favorite, but I think… blue, perhaps light blue, would look best on you," Cipher- or should he call him Bill? - claimed after a minute had passed, smile wide and eye honest. Dipper's lips formed words to say, but none of them left his mouth, his mind too confused.

"Huh?"

"Blue! You know, like your hat? I think you'd look dashing in a suit that color! And it'd look good with gold," the prince muttered, almost as an afterthought, though Dipper felt his heart pound. And, after a second, he decided to stop trying to understand this conversation, to give up and just go along with it, like he frequently did while talking with Mabel. After all, if Ciph- _Bill_ wanted to pretend everything was right as rain, then fine. He'd bite. He was too tired and confused to fight anymore, anyway.

"I don't know, B-Bill. Wouldn't that be too… too bright?" He asked, eyeing the man on the ground, who frowned minutely in thought before replying.

"Nah, I think it'd look fine. On you, at least. It'd make your eyes pop, and you'd see the natural highlights in your hair."

Like that made any sense, the boy thought, but he nodded absently. It was easier than denying the claim, at any rate.

"I saw a couple suits, in fact, that would look great! I'll go and get them!" Bill exclaimed, eye bright as he stood, his long limbs making him tower over the sitting boy. Swallowing drily, Dipper shook his head in a negative, suddenly remembering his sister, not wanting her to know that he was aquatinted with the prince. Not only would she be upset that he hadn't introduced them, but she would never leave him alone after that, asking every detail that he could give her. Not to mention that, with her fanciful imagination, she might insinuate that the reason Bill was so interested in him was because… but, that was wrong, he mentally scolded his imaginary Mabel. So wrong.

"T-that's not necessary! I think I saw the display earlier, I can find them myself," Dipper claimed as he scrambled up quickly, not liking the feeling of being that much shorter than Bill. He was still a good four inches shorter than the man even while standing, but at least it wasn't as drastic as when he had been sitting. Bill frowned softly at the boy, but thankfully didn't make a fuss, just shrugging before looking out the window, wincing at whatever he saw there.

"Ah, time to go. After all, the King doesn't like to be kept waiting," Bill muttered, flicking his gaze back to Dipper, a soft smile on his face. Dipper smiled softly back before he could stop himself, his heart fluttering madly.

"R-right. I'll… I'll see you later, then," he stated, like it was a given at that point. Like he knew he'd see Bill again. Bill smirked, like he knew what the boy was thinking, but didn't comment on it and only nodded. He didn't move, though, just continued to stare at the boy until he began feeling subconscious. Before Dipper could start fidgeting, though, Bill leaned in, so swiftly Dipper barely saw him move, and gently left a kiss on the boy's cheek, his velvety soft lips lingering for a second before pulling back slightly.

"There, now you've been kissed," Bill muttered softly into his ear, the warm breath coupled with the words making the boy shiver.

With a smile, Bill pulled back completely and let out a soft, content hum.

"See you tomorrow, Dipper. I look forward to seeing you in that blue suit."

Bill gave the boy one last smile before he turned and left, humming a happier tune than the one he usually hummed.

Not that Dipper noticed, since he was positive he had broken, his mind frozen and his body stiff as a board. Had Bill- did he just- what was… Huh?!

Dipper didn't move for a solid minute, and even then it was only to shakily raise a hand to his cheek, where he could still feel the soft lips, the scent of cinnamon and cloves drowning him. He would have been content to stay like that for the rest of his life, but was pulled out of his trance a moment later when he heard Mabel call to him, dragging him back into the present. She was bounding over to him, holding the dark blue suit and a white dress shirt in one hand, and shiny black shoes and a black bow tie in the other (of course). Dipper stared at the suit, knowing that Mabel was still speaking to him, but not comprehending the words. After a minute, the girl forced the items into his hands, her meaning clear; try these on.

However, as he headed to the changing room, he passed the display with the light blue three piece suits he was sure Bill had been taking about and, with only a second hesitation, grabbed the first one he saw in his size, much to the surprise of his sister and her Match.

And as he headed home that day, after a bizarre dinner eating a steak made entirely out of glitter, bags spilled around him on the bus but only one containing a baby blue suit, he thought that maybe things wouldn't be so bad, the next day.

As long as he saw Bill, at least.

* * *

Hi. I hope things have been cleared up with this chapter. Bill doesn't explain himself, but I hope his actions spoke louder than words. I edited this chapter heavily today, so if you saw any mistakes, please tell me. I'm currently very tired, since I've not been sleeping well at all recently (not because of anything in particular, but mostly because my brain sucks) and I'm very out of sorts at the moment. I'm posting today mostly because I don't want to fall behind on posting.

Anyway, people seemed interested in my original story. That's great! Regrettably, since I've been feeling off recently, my writing has been put on the back-burner, and it might take a few weeks (or months) until I'm feeling right enough to write again. So, if y'all still want to read my story, I'll post the first few chapters that I've written on AO3 today (so if you're on FF . net, you might want to look me up on AO3, where I go by DracotheDeathEatingCupcake), but don't expect to get another post for a long while. Let me know if you'd be interested. If no one seems overly interested, I'll just not post and wait until it's mostly done to post.


	6. In Which Dipper Realizes He Is an Idiot

It's the last chapter! Yay!

Before anything else, I wanted to thank everyone who stuck with this story for the entirety. It took me ages to actually write this story, starting last November with the premise and the first chapter. I honestly had no idea if I'd ever even finish this piece, so I'm really glad I did and that people actually enjoyed it.

Now, there is still the epilogue, which is pretty long, but this is the end of the Matching Ceremony debacle.

Oh! I drew another thing for this story. I'll put it in the chapter on AO3, but if you are on FF . net, then I'm afraid I don't know how to share it with y'all. It's not that great, since I had to deal with perspective which I am dreadful at, but eh. Also, this is the chapter that the cover art comes from. The drawing is not exactly what happens in the story, but it's close enough I guess.

Anyway, thanks for all the comments!

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Six: In Which Dipper Realizes He Is an Idiot, Really, but Manages To Get His Happy Ending Anyway

The morning sun was bright the next day, sunshine filtering in through the partially opened blinds. The sounds of birds twittering outside could be heard from inside the small room, the fall morning the epitome of peace and beauty.

Dipper just longed to go back to sleep.

It had been a hectic hour since he had been awoken at six by his sister talking excitedly to her Match, the two girls having apparently decided to dress together in their small room.

As soon as they had seen he had woken up, the girls had convened on him, forcing him up and sending him into the bathroom to wash and get dressed. He, as confused and sleepy as he had been, hadn't resisted and had gone with their pushy hands, blinking sleepily at himself in the mirror as the door slammed shut behind him, the two girls talking a mile a minute. When he had finally gathered himself enough to understand what had just happened, he had groaned, but did as the girls had asked, stepping into the shower to try and refresh himself. It hadn't even hit him what the day was until hallway through his shower, causing the boy to freeze, his hands stopping the rinsing of his hair as his heart thumped.

And that had led him to where he was now, he thought nervously, standing in front of the bathroom mirror as he tried to figure out how to tie a bow tie. After another minute of fruitless fidgeting he gave up, tossing the infernal thing aside and twisting his hands nervously together as he just stared at himself, his heart pounding in his chest as he looked at the image in the mirror. His face formed a grimace as he saw the ridiculous baby blue suit that was clinging uncomfortably to his thin chest, showing off the distinct lack of muscles he had. He nervously smoothed the jacket down as much as he could, shifting in place to see how it looked from all angles.

Since he hadn't had time, he had been unable to get the suit tailored to fit, so his sister had insisted he get a size smaller than he usually would go, so it would fit his form better. As he stared at himself in the mirror, a frown on his face, he wished he hadn't blithely agreed, as the suit made him look as thin as he really was. The pristine white dress shirt he wore under the suit jacket, also a size too small, wasn't helping matters either. At least he liked the shiny black shoes, even as uncomfortable as they were. That had to account for something, right?

… He looked like he was about to get married.

Well, he thought with rising panic, that was almost the truth, wasn't it? After all, if the day went well, he'd marry the person he was Matched with. And wasn't that a terrifying thought.

Panic filling him, he did his best to ignore the suit and took a closer look at his face, viewing the dark shadows under his eyes closer, wincing as he saw how deep and dark they were. He hadn't slept well at all the previous night, his head full of thoughts about the Matching Ceremony, who his Match would be, and if they'd like him. It had kept him up half the night, all of the worry and concern about the whole process.

Well… that, and something else. Something that had been far more concerning.

But he wasn't going to think about that, he told himself harshly. He wouldn't think about the hours he had wasted, reliving the moments he had spent with someone he had once and still hated, and yet didn't. Moments that hadn't been anything special when they had happened, yet had bloomed into fantastic fantasy in his young adult mind. He wouldn't think on how it felt, being in the warm arms of a man he would grow to… or about how he had wished that kiss had landed just a bit to the right. He wouldn't think on it, not with what was going to happen that day. Not when he knew that, after this day, he'd never see the man again, so it would be better to just forget now before it hurt more later.

Before he grew to become discontent in the life he would lead.

Taking a deep breath, he shook his head to get the prince out, forcing his mind back onto his reflection, back onto the current dilemma he was facing. Staring, he noticed that his face looked sallow and gaunt, his eyes sunken with the shadows beneath them. He looked like a vampire, and not the sexy kind, as Mabel would say. He sighed softly as he rested his head against the bathroom mirror, his hand drifting up to run through his beyond messy hair. He grimaced as his fingers snagged, the knots abundant in his curly hair. He had washed his hair that morning, but his hair always dried into tangled knots.

He felt dread fill him as he thought about his inadequate self, hating how awful he looked. Part of him wanted to call this whole thing off. Another part of him wanted to just get out of these clothes and back into his usual ones. At least then he would look like he usually did and not like a kid playing at being a grown up. Something told him that he shouldn't, though. He tried not to think about how it was the look in the prince's eye the other night, full of emotion he couldn't identify, that was causing this stupid desire to dress neatly for once. Yet he couldn't go out looking like this. He couldn't face the pri- his Match while looking like death warmed over.

"Dipper? Are you done yet?! Paz and I are waiting to see how you look! Come on Dipping-Sauce, don't get cold feet now!" Mabel's voice drifted into the bathroom several minutes later, breaking through the increasingly negative thoughts that were invading his mind as he stared at himself in the mirror. The boy startled, staring wide eyes at his inadequate self. He couldn't go out there, not looking like this. He couldn't do any of this at all. What had he been thinking, getting a Match? He was ordinary, plain, boring ol' Dipper Pines. He had been insane, thinking he could ever impress someone like the pr- like his Match. Someone like his / _Match_ /.

Taking a shaky breath, he turned and marched stiffly over to the door, a deep frown on his face as he stopped before the locked door.

"I look ridiculous Mabel. The suit… my face… I'm not coming out, okay? I don't want to do this anymore. Any of this," he said softly through the door, wanting to sound huffy but only coming out as pathetic. He could hear his sister tut softly outside the door, the handle twisting in vain as she tried to enter the locked door.

"Come on Dip-Dop, I'm sure it's not that bad. You looked good in the suit last night!"

Dipper scoffed, fidgeting minutely.

"No, I looked ridiculous then and I look ridiculous now. I'm not coming out, okay? Just leave it!"

There was silence outside the door after that and part of him naively hoped that Mabel had given up. Sadly, he was sorely mistaken.

"Okay, Dipper, if you don't open that door in five seconds I'm gonna break it down. Don't you think I won't! Paz, tell him how serious I am!"

"She's got the floor lamp in her arms, and I can attest to the fact this thing is extremely heavy, since I helped her lift it. I'd open the door if I were you, Dipper."

Great. With a sigh, Dipper ran a hand through his hair, gritting his teeth as he prayed to the gods for patience. Why didn't his sister realize that he wasn't in the mood? This whole thing was ridiculous. Matching… pooh, he would do just fine living by himself! He'd have fun adventures, and have cool friends, and he'd never have to deal with the gut wrenching dread that was flowing through him. It was fine. It was what he wanted. Why couldn't his sister see that?

However, if she was serious about breaking open the door…

"Dipper? Alright. Fine. Five."

She wouldn't really break the door down.

"Four,"

Even Mabel wasn't that dramatic.

"Three,"

Well… actually, she had always had a flair for dramatics… and she never did much care about property damage…

"Two…"

Right before the girl could say one, Dipper broke, realizing that his sister was deadly seriously about breaking the door down.

"Alright! Alright! I-I'll come out. Geez."

With another sigh, Dipper yanked the door open, glaring at the sight of his sister, holding the garish floor lamp in her arms, though she dropped it as soon as he stiffly marched out. He winced inwardly as he heard the loud thump, absently wondering how much his parents would owe if they broke the thing.

He was drawn out of the thought when he heard his sister gasp, an excited squeal emitting from her mouth a second later.

"Oh! Dipper, you look so grown up! I mean, you could probably use some makeup, but you look amazing! Right, Paz?" His sister cooed, turning to her Match at the end. Dipper similarly turned to face the other girl, who had an impressed look on her face, for once.

"She's actually right, Dipper. You clean up nice. Maybe you could use a hair brush and some makeup, but other than that, damn."

Dipper fidgeted at the praise, not knowing how to respond. He didn't agree at all. He thought he looked stupid, and childish, and all around awful.

Not at all good enough to impress the prince.

Dipper tried not to wince at that thought.

Mabel, however, just tutted at him, walking over and giving him a big hug.

"I can practically hear your brain churning, bro-bro. Whatever you're thinking, it's wrong. You look great! If you'd just let me and Paz do your hair and makeup, then you'd look even better! Okay? It'll be fine, Dip. I promise. Whoever you get will be so blown away they won't even remember their own name!"

Mabel gave him one last squeeze before pulling away, a determined look on her face as she pulled him over to the small mirror she and Pacifica had been using for makeup. Dipper followed quietly, his heart too sick to even begin to deny her. He despised makeup, the few times the girl had managed to trick him into wearing it, but maybe… maybe it would help.

Sitting him down on the bench, faced away from the mirror, Mabel turned to her bag, frowning softly as she rummaged through it, clearly looking for something specific. An excited 'Aha!' emitted from her mouth a few seconds later, the girl standing up straight with a cream colored tube… / _thing_ / in her hand.

"Got it! Now, close your eyes, 'kay Dipper? No peeking until we're done, got it?"

Dipper gave her an uncertain look before closing his eyes slowly. He had no idea if this would help or not, but at that point, he was willing to try anything.

The next half an hour was full of action as the two girls in the room chatted while they stood critically over Dipper, with Dipper trying his hardest not to wince too harshly at the poking and prodding he felt on his face, his face getting caked in oily paint. He had almost yelped, however, when he had felt his sister draw on his eyelid, almost pulling back from the foreign sensation. The girl had simply tutted at him, telling him that it was just eyeliner and that it wouldn't kill him. He honestly wasn't so sure of that, grimacing at the feeling on his eyelids. Though, that wasn't nearly as bad as the lip gloss his sister tried to put on his lips. He had finally put his foot down at wearing anything brighter than a light peach, which his sister had agreed to reluctantly.

He almost cried in relief when his sister finally told him she was done, and then actually cried when Pacifica had come over and harshly ran a brush through his unruly hair. That had earned him a scolding from his sister, and another five minutes in the chair as she fixed the eyeliner he had apparently ruined. It hadn't been his fault, he thought bitterly as he rubbed his sore head. There was a reason he rarely brushed his hair, after all. At least the girl had been able to mostly tame it before he had called Uncle, though, a weird hair gel that smelled of lemons assisting in the endeavor.

"Alright, Mabel, it's been ages. Can I finally look at myself in the mirror?" He whined, not caring that he sounded like a child. He already felt like one, so he might as well act it. Besides, he had been patient enough; he wanted to see the results. He watched as his sister rolled her eyes, before shaking her head.

"Not yet. One last detail first!"

With that the girl ran off, into the bathroom. Dipper stared at her in confusion, though comprehension dawned when he saw the cursed strip of fabric he hated more than anything else. He let out a groan as he saw it.

"Really? Do I have to wear the bow tie? It'll look so stupid!"

He sighed, however, upon seeing his sister's hard look. He had given her control this far; he might as well give in entirely.

He grimaced as his sister stood in front of him, practically choking him with the stupid tie. He didn't even bother asking where she had learned to tie a bow tie; it probably had been one of her silly magazines that obsessed with fashion. It took only a moment and then the bow tie was on, the thing a foreign and unwelcome addition to his neck.

"And… done! Okay, Dip-Dop, you can look now!" The girl grinned, looking down at the boy. Dipper could feel his heart pound as he realized he was done, forgetting his discomfort immediately, part of him almost not wanting to turn around to see if he still looked as ridiculous as he felt. Mabel obviously noticed his hesitance since she rolled her eyes before gently smacking him on his head. "You look fine, Dipper! Go on, look for yourself!"

With a deep breath, Dipper turned, grimacing in anticipation. The grimace fell, however, as he looked himself over.

He almost didn't recognize the face in the mirror, positive it could not have been him. For one thing, the image he saw didn't look like death warmed over, instead looking almost… handsome. His eyes popped with the eyeliner, the usually dull brown eyes defined and attractive. His skin looked smoother than it had since early childhood, all the scars and abnormalities he had acquired over the years erased under the foundation and blush. Even his lips looked nice, with the slight smattering of peach lip gloss his twin had demanded he use. And his hair…he was positive he had never seen his hair so controlled in his life, the usual voluminous and wild curls tamed with the sticky gel.

"That… that cannot be me," he claimed, looking up at his sister with wide eyes. All he saw was a large grin before he got engulfed into a Mabel hug, the girl bouncing up and down slightly.

"Yep! Told you that you looked good, bro-bro! The makeup just assisted things a little. You look like a model! Paz and I did a great job!" The girl exclaimed, high-fiving her partner in crime. Dipper rolled his eyes, but he had to admit she was right. He still felt ridiculous, but at least he didn't look like an unsexy vampire, or a kid playing adult. That had to account for something, right? Right.

He hoped.

With a sigh, he fidgeted, looking over at the clock. He let out a wince when he saw it was already half passed seven, the whole beautifying process taking an hour and a half. The Matches had to meet at the Palace at ten that morning to prepare for the eleven o'clock Ceremony, but since he had been Unclaimed, he had to arrive an hour earlier than that so he could meet his Match beforehand. He felt terror rise in him at the thought, realizing he was only an hour and a half away from meeting his Match. Before he could faint with the nerves, he felt a hand on his shoulder, looking up to see his sister frowning at him, a soft hum emitting from her lips.

"It'll be fine, Dipper. You'll see. Now, you should go down to breakfast and get something to eat, so you don't faint during the ceremony. Be sure to not smudge the makeup! Oh, and take this!" The girl pulled her hand back, reaching into the table and grabbing something, handing it to him a second later. "So you can reapply it when it gets rubbed off!"

Dipper took the object and frowned as he saw the peach lip gloss. He was too nervous to make a snappy comment, however, so he just nodded his thanks before shakily standing. He floated over to the door, his mind numb as he did his best to not faint then and there. Before he could exit, he heard Mabel shout a quick 'good luck!', which he felt was ironic. As if he ever had good luck.

He barely noticed the walk down to the dining room, his mind as fuzzy as it was. He could barely breathe, let alone think, as he floated though the room like a ghost. Somehow he was able to snag some breakfast before taking a seat at an empty table, the dining room filled with individuals in similar states as him. Even those who knew their Match were anxious, seeing as how the day was considered the most important of their young lives. It was like his Bar Mitzvah all over again, or Graduation. At least this time he didn't have to speak in Hebrew or give a painfully awkward valedictorian speech that still made him cringe when he thought of it. It was just meeting his Future. No biggie, really.

After a half an hour of sitting and panicking- his thoughts spiraling into a downward slope of 'what ifs' and fears- he heard his sister's telltale laugh, causing him to look up. When he did, however, he felt his jaw drop.

Clothed in a bright red dress and black stiletto heels, his sister looked more grown-up than he had ever thought she could ever be. Not because she acted childish (though she often did), but because he still remembered her when she was ten and going to her first 'dance,' a Winter Formal their elementary school had put on for the older students. She had dressed in a white, clumsily sewn dress that had been coated in far too much glitter that she had made herself, with the minute help of their mother.

As he looked at her now, grinning and giggling at her Match, it really hit him how old they were, how they were growing up and moving on with life. Hell, they were about to attend their Matching Ceremony, an event that pretty much signified adulthood in their Kingdom. At that moment, he finally understood, perfectly, why Mabel had been so upset with him wanting to stay in Gravity Falls with Ford, when they had been twelve. When he had wanted to grow up so badly that he had tried to deny his sister their childhood together.

However, unlike his twin, Dipper could see the good in it. The beauty in growing up. And as he stood, grinning proudly to engulf his sister in his arms in order to express the rush of emotion he felt, hearing her giggle at the show of affection, he thought that maybe the day wouldn't go as badly as he feared. Maybe things would work out, like they always did, in the end. It was scary, but that was what growing up was, wasn't it? It was scary, and panic inducing, and all around awful, but it was what needed to be done. It was natural.

He was still nervous, of course. It was terrifying, after all, to think on the future. To think of his destiny. But at least he didn't feel like he was going to throw up anymore. At least the fog had left his mind, allowing him to think clearly again. He smiled gently at Mabel as she took her seat and mentally thanked her, grabbing her hand and squeezing gently when she offered it to him. He honestly had no idea what he would do without her, the girl the only thing keeping him grounded at times. She kept him from combusting with his panic and fears, just as he kept her from flying too close to the sun.

With a smile, Dipper took a bite of his bacon, the conversations in the room drifting through him as he simply existed.

It was at a half past eight that the boy got up, only somewhat shakily, from the table where his sister was talking quietly with Pacifica, the two girls grinning widely with what Dipper almost wanted to call love in their eyes. It was a bit too early to call it that, he thought, but it clearly was well on its way. He bid his farewell to the two girls, one in red and one in purple, taking his leave so he could catch his bus. It would only take him fifteen minutes to reach the Palace, but he wanted to leave early in case there was a delay. It was always better to be early than late, he thought.

The bus ride was excruciating, the fifteen minutes stretching into an eternity. The bus was fast, zipping past the crowded streets, but it wasn't quick enough to stop the dread from settling into the boy's stomach once more. This was it. He was going to meet his Match. There was no more waiting. No more wondering. This was his future.

For better, or for worse.

Finally the bus stopped at his stop, allowing the boy to exit on beyond shaky feet. As he stood at the bus stop by the foot of the Palace, he felt his breath falter, his eyes wide as he stared at the awe-inspiring sight in front of him, the Palace even more beautiful in person that it was on TV. Part of him wished he had his camera with him, wanting to capture this moment forever, but he had regretfully forgotten it on his bedside table back in the room. As he stood there, he wondered what it would have felt like to grow up in a place such as this, to have grown up on these beautiful but austere looking grounds. What it would have done to him. If he'd have ended up just like… just like the prince. It hadn't happened and it never would, but it certainly had been a dream once, when he had been younger and more of a dreamer.

It took him a minute to shake the thoughts from his head and to gather the strength he needed to move again, walking stiffly up the long pathway to the elaborate gate that had a reasonably sized crowd outside it. He gulped as he walked to the little door beside the massive gate, which was blocked off by at least ten burly security guards that were even larger than Manly Dan.

With a shaking hand, he nervously handed the man in charge his identification slip, which he had gotten when he had boarded the train that had taken him to the station he had thought he would meet his Match in. The man who had handed it to him had stressed that he keep special care to not lose the piece of paper, for without it he would not be allowed entrance to the Ceremony. Dipper watched as the security guard looked at the paper carefully, before handing it back, requesting the boy to hold out his arm. He did, wincing as he felt the telltale prick of a needle taking a blood sample, which would match him as Mason 'Dipper' Pines, finally allowing him to enter the premises. Ever since the attack on the castle all those years ago, Palace security had ramped up drastically, especially during the Matching Ceremony when thousands of common folk would enter the castle for the Ceremony. Dipper didn't mind, though, more grateful to be there than anything else.

As he entered the small gate, he was told to follow after one of the security guards, which he did with mounting anticipation. He wasn't sure why he had to follow the security guard, but he assumed it had to do with safety. He was glad, though, knowing that he wouldn't have been able to find his way through the labyrinthine grounds without the man.

It took five minutes- five long, tiring, and nerve-wracking minutes- but they finally made it to the front door, where Dipper was handed off to yet another security guard, whom he was supposed to follow to the waiting room. With each step he took he could feel his palms getting sweatier and sweatier. He took deep, even breaths as he walked, barely noticing the opulence surrounding him. It wouldn't do to faint. Fainting would most definitely be bad.

Finally, just as the boy felt he would go mad with the anticipation, the security guard stopped, gesturing to the open door at the end of the hallway.

"Go in there. Your Match has not yet finished dressing, so sit patiently and wait for him to arrive. You will be escorted out to the main ballroom at ten, so be prepared," the security guard said emotionlessly, staring blankly at the wall instead of turning to face Dipper.

Dipper took another deep breath, trying to ignore the disappointment he felt at the fact his Match had not arrived yet (though he couldn't help thinking about how, if what the security guard had said was correct, he had just learned that his Match was male. He had no idea how to feel about that, though, but he didn't think he was disappointed. After all, he had long since come to terms with the fact he wasn't exactly straight. Not gay, but definitely not straight). With shaking steps, Dipper marched to the room ahead of him, pushing out all thoughts and emotions, ready to meet his destiny.

The room itself was ornate in a way that Dipper had never really seen. His family had always been well off, but they had never had opulence like this. The room was painted in a soothing cream color with wooden planks lining the bottom of the walls, with a large black and gold couch sitting in the center, a sleek black table in front of it. There were dozens of vases lining the walls, as well as a china case filled with what were surely beautiful, highly expensive items. Off to the side there was an area sectioned off, where about half a dozen other people were standing, looking just as nervous as he felt. As soon as he finished his survey of the room a peppy woman came up to him, smiling a highly false looking smile.

"Name?" She requested, holding a clipboard in her manicured hands. Dipper swallowed drily.

"It's, uh, Dipper. D-Dipper P-Pines," he stuttered nervously, giving the lady a sheepish smile. He watched in bafflement as the woman's eyes widened slightly, before a real smile replaced the fake one, her demeanor changing from one of forced pep to one of genuine happiness, though there was still something manufactured about her.

"Oh! Mr. Pines! What a pleasure to meet you, sir! Please, come right this way, over here," the woman insisted, leading him away from the other people and over to the large couch. Dipper could only follow, his eyebrows impossibly high on his face as he tried to comprehend what was happening. This woman was treating him like he was famous or something. Why? What was going on? Dipper didn't know, but for some reason, a brief thought entered his head that maybe it had something to do with the prince, that perhaps the man had somehow told his staff about him. But, that was ridiculous, he told himself harshly. The prince wouldn't do that for someone he had only known for less than three days. This woman had to have him confused with someone else. That was all. Still, he might as well go along with it, since he didn't really have a desire to stand for the next however many minutes until his Match arrived.

When he reached the couch, Dipper took a seat on the surprisingly comfortable cushions, smiling hesitatingly when the woman beamed down at him.

"Your Match will be here shortly; he simply is finishing up with some last minute details that have arisen. Sit, relax. If you need anything, feel free to ask. My name is Crystal Morgan, so make sure you ask for me!"

With that, the peppy woman-Crystal, apparently- walked away, leaving Dipper to stare after her in confusion. Right. Well, / _that_ / hadn't been at all weird.

Deciding not to think on the bizarre exchange, Dipper looked at the area where the other Unclaimed people were standing, all of them staring at him in confusion. Dipper felt himself flush bright red, facing downward so he couldn't see their stares. Great. Now everyone was staring at him. He hoped his Match would arrive soon so he had something else to focus on. Well, and because he was anxious to meet them, of course. Beyond anxious, really…

After that the minutes passed slowly, time appearing to have stopped just when he hadn't needed it to. Finally, after five minutes passed, someone entered the door, a man, hands clenched at his side. Dipper felt a moment of hope, wondering if this was his Match. Sure, the man was plain looking, with big, thick glasses on his face, but he looked nice enough. But when the man went over to the sectioned off area, smiling hesitantly at a small, mousy looking female, he knew that this one wasn't his. He let out the breath he had been holding and waited. He looked at the clock and saw it was five minutes 'til nine, giving his Match five minutes until he was late.

Five minutes passed. Three more people had entered the room. Two girls, one boy. None had walked over to him, instead taking another person from the sectioned off area. As the clock chimed nine, there were only three people remaining without Matches, Dipper one of them. The boy tried not to feel too panicked, though this was feeling suspiciously like that day at the station, with him waiting anxiously to see if his Match would arrive. Maybe he really didn't have a Match. Maybe that was why he was getting preferential treatment; they either felt sorry for him or they didn't want him to get angry that their supposedly flawless technology had failed him.

As he thought this, another man walked in, this one with dark skin and sleek black hair, dressed to the nines in a black tuxedo. Dipper spared a brief second to hope, but was cruelly denied when the man turned to one of the females, a pleasant smile on his face. As the two exited the room so they could spend the next hour talking in peace, Dipper felt his heart ache fiercely.

When the last person had been claimed, a red haired female claiming a dark skinned, busty female, Dipper officially felt like someone out there hated him. It was five minutes passed nine, his Match officially late. There was still time, he thought desperately, but he was losing hope quickly. The peppy lady came over and started chatting with him, but he wasn't really listening. He smiled politely at her until she walked away, leaving him alone to wallow.

After another ten minutes passed, Dipper put his head in his hands. He was careful to not smear his makeup or ruin his hair, but he was feeling awful.

This. This was everything he had ever feared as a child. That he truly was unwanted by everyone. That he truly / _didn't_ / have that one person who was made for him. That he truly was… unlovable. He tried not to cry, but he couldn't stop his shoulders from shaking, his breathing starting to quicken as he thought about everything.

It wasn't fair. It just… wasn't fair. He was a nice person. He followed the rules. He had never done anything wrong in his life, not on purpose at least. He deserved more than this, more than to be left waiting in a silent room, counting the seconds until someone either showed up or didn't.

Dipper was so absorbed in his increasingly depressing thoughts that he didn't notice the sound of someone entering the room five minutes later. Nor did he hear the chirpy voice of Crystal, or the smooth two tone voice he had come to love. Nor the sound of the door to the room closing, blocking off all other sound but the ones made from inside the room.

He only grew aware of his surroundings when he felt a warm hand gently touch his back, causing the boy to shiver, even as his head shot up so fast he nearly got whiplash. As it was, it took him a second to see, his eyes having difficulty adjusting to the bright light after being squeezed shut. When he could finally see again, he felt his breath hitch as he was faced with the breathtaking sight of the prince, head tilted and eye filled with what could only be described as concern.

Dipper, however, was speechless as he took the man in, staring at the prince's face. It seemed that he was not the only one to wear makeup, he thought absently, looking at the stunning face in front of his. Not that the prince needed it, but the makeup helped define the golden skin, the man's naturally high cheekbones defined even farther. He wore golden eye shadow on his good eye, the other covered by the most ornate eyepatch the boy had ever seen, tiny diamonds forming the prince's family symbol atop a golden base. His hair was slicked back, that black top hat from the other day sitting atop it. From his position, Dipper could not see much of the man's outfit, but from what he could see, it looked as immaculate as ever; a golden tuxedo that somehow didn't look garish with a black dress shirt underneath.

All in all, the man looked fantastic, every inch the prince he was. It took Dipper a second to realize the man was talking to him, the prince's eyebrows furrowing as he spoke.

"W-what?" Dipper asked nervously, heart pounding as he did. He was almost afraid the prince would hear the thudding, his heart was beating so loud. However, all the prince did was frown, before repeating himself, slowly that time.

"I asked, are you alright, Pine Tree. You look like someone told you Christmas was canceled, or something. Was afraid someone had hurt my Pine Tree."

Dipper felt his heart skip a best at the possessive, but he did his best to ignore it, biting his lip instead. He grimaced a second later, though, as he tasted the lip-gloss he had reapplied while on the bus.

"N-no one hurt me, Bill, I'm fine," Dipper started, before realizing it was a lie. Grimacing slightly, he looked away from the prince and focussed on the wall before starting again. "W-well… maybe not / _fine_ ,/ exactly, but no one hurt me. Not on purpose, at least," he muttered under his breath, still kind of raw that his Match still hadn't shown. He was so sore about that fact that it didn't even cross his mind to wonder what the prince was doing there; after all, of course the man was there- he always seemed to be when Dipper needed someone the most. He watched in his peripheral as Bill's frown deepened, the man crossing his arms across his chest.

"What do you mean, not on purpose? If one of the staff is giving you a hard time, tell me now and I'll have them dealt with immediately. Say the word and it'll be done," Bill promised, eye wide and honest. Dipper's heart skipped a beat again, and again he ignored it. Bill was acting very sweet, but it did him no good to start falling back into his fantasies from the previous night. Not when he was still waiting on his Match. He turned back to the prince, a small grimace on his face.

"No! No, the staff was very nice. The lady, Crystal, was very friendly and the security guards were very helpful. No, I'm just… I'm just upset. About my Match." Upon seeing Bill's confused- dare he say / _hurt_ /- expression, Dipper hurried to explain. "I-I mean… it's been twenty minutes, and they still haven't shown up."

Silence filled the room after that, the prince's face turning blank as they stared at each other. After fifteen seconds had passed Dipper began feeling self-conscious, starting to fidget in place as he wondered what he had said wrong. After all, his Match hadn't shown up, so what he had said was the truth… so why was the prince staring at him like that?

Another five second passed before a small smile broke out on the prince's face, like he had finally understood something that had bothered him for a while. Slowly the smile grew, until it was a full on grin. Then the prince began laughing, starting as a small chuckle but building until it was a full bodied laugh, his right hand coming up to rest on his chest while his left slapped his knee in delight.

Dipper stared at the man in horror, however, his heart shattering as the man he had started to trust laughed at his problems. What… why… h-he failed to see what was so funny, he thought hysterically, heart racing and face flushing. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't, his mind frozen as he watched the prince laugh in a most undignified manner. It would have been funny, if it hadn't been him who was the butt of the joke.

It took a good thirty seconds before the prince calmed down, the man wiping away fake tears as he grinned at the boy, though his grin faded somewhat when he saw the devastated look Dipper sported. It didn't fade completely, though, instead softening into what could almost be called a fond smile.

"Ah. So, what you're telling me is that you're upset because you got stood up, is that right?" Bill asked, head tilted and eye narrowed. Dipper started to feel offended but stopped when the prince continued. "Do you know who your Match is, Pine Tree? Maybe I can help find them; maybe they got lost in the castle somewhere?"

Dipper sighed, trying to push aside his hurt- though not quite managing it- and shook his head sadly.

"/ _No_ /. Secondary people aren't told anything at all about who their Match is, because of the archaic rule that only Primary people can claim their Match. It's ridiculous, but because of it I know nothing about who I got. Well… I know they're male, since one of the guards mentioned something about my Match being a 'him'," he stated, biting his lip, once against forgetting the lip-gloss. He heard Bill snort softly, as well as mutter something that sounded like 'and here I was, thinking I was being obvious,' before the man stood and walked over to the china cabinet.

"So, let me get this straight. You know nothing about your Match. No one, I don't know, clued you in? Told you anything about him, other than his gender?"

Dipper shook his head again, when Bill looked back at him. Dipper could have sworn he saw a smile on the man's face as he turned back to the cabinet, but the boy wasn't sure. Bill let out a soft hum, placing his arms behind his back, his left holding his right as he thought.

"That is a dilly of a pickle you have found yourself in, Pine Tree. Want me to go and see if I can ask someone who your Match is? I'm sure they'd tell me; I am the prince, after all," he claimed a minute later, turning to face the boy once more. Dipper hesitated a second, tempted to say yes, but eventually shook his head.

"No… no, it's alright, Bill. If they wanted to be here, they'd have arrived by now, wouldn't they? I guess they just… didn't like me, or something," Dipper mumbled, looking down as he felt tears fill his eyes. "I guess everyone was right when I was a kid; I really am a know it all who no one would ever love."

Dipper heard footsteps approaching him, before feeling a gentle finger touch his chin, lifting his head up, forcing him to look at the face of Bill, his eye soft and his lips pulled downward in a frown.

"Hey now, don't say that, Pine Tree," Bill chided softly, his warm hand moving to cup the boy's face gently. "Whoever told you that was wrong; you're not unlovable, Dipper. Trust me, you're / _not_./"

Dipper's heart flipped as he stared into Bill's eye, his breath stuttering in his chest. The man looked so certain, so sure. Like he meant the words wholeheartedly.

"Then why aren't they here?" He heard himself ask a second later, heart aching. A few seconds passed in silence before Dipper continued.

"You know, I've been looking forward to this day since I was a young child," he muttered quietly, looking over Bill's shoulder so he didn't have to see the man react to his words. "I-I know guys aren't supposed to look forward to it, that only wimps care about their Matches, but I always thought it was enchanting. I mean, it was a whole ceremony devoted to finding th-the one person made for you. The one person you could conceivably call your soulmate, if soulmates even exist. W-who wouldn't feel enchanted? B-but… but I was always afraid. That I wouldn't be… Enough. That I'd somehow disappoint the one person who was supposed to be / _mine_ /. Not my sister's, not my parents, but / _mine_ /. Someone who'd love me no matter what. That I'd ruin that, that whoever was Matched with me would take one look before running in the opposite direction. That they'd hate me and regret ever being Matched with me. And… and I was / _right_ /. They don't want me, whoever they are. They don't want me. I… I wasn't / _Enough_ / for them."

The boy finished with a gasp- the tears he had held back finally spilling- likely ruining his makeup but he didn't care. His heart hurt, more than it ever had before. He had never told anyone those fears before, knowing that they would try and placate him with pretty words and prettier lies. But he had known the truth. And he / _knew_ / the truth, now. Now that it was thirty minutes passed and his Match still hadn't shown. Now that any hope he had had been crushed into oblivion.

The boy had almost forgotten that he had an audience when he felt a warm finger gently wipe the tears away from his eyes, drawing his eyes back to Bill's, gasping when he saw the emotion that was held there. It looked like sadness, but not pity. No… it looked more like… understanding.

"Oh, Dipper," Bill muttered softly, a small, sad smile finding its way onto his lips, "you really are an idiot, aren't you?"

Dipper couldn't even begin to feel offended at that statement before he felt something warm touch his lips. It took him a second to realize what it was, but when he did, his eyes went wide and his breath hitched.

Bill was kissing him. Bill was / _kissing him_ /. And not a small, peck, no. This was a full-fledged kiss, the kind he had regrettably heard his sister enthuse about after her first real date.

Damn, did it feel nice.

Three seconds passed before Dipper decided to shut his jumbled brain down and just allowed himself to feel, his eyes closing and his hands reaching to grab the older man by his shoulders, pulling him up and closer. He felt pressure at the entrance of his lips and opened them, moaning softly when he felt a tongue enter his mouth, warm and solid and real. All of it, real. And / _his_ /.

Dipper didn't know how much time had passed when the prince pulled away, his whole body alive with sensation. He let out a soft keening sound as the man pulled back, pacified when the man gave him one last quick kiss before pulling back entirely, though his hand never left the boy's face. Dipper kept his eyes closed for another heartbeat, not wanting to open them and find this had all been a dream. However, when he felt Bill thumb trace his cheek softly, running down and over his sore lips, Dipper opened his eyes on a gasp, eyes drawn instantly to Bill's. He almost keened again at the wanton lust he saw in the golden iris, the eye lidded. And then Dipper's brain came back online, a niggling dread forcing itself to the forefront, causing the boy to frown.

"But… Bill, what about / _your_ / Match?" Dipper questioned quietly, eyes beseeching as he realized that, while he had spoken about his Match at great lengths, Bill hadn't said a single word about his in the entire time he had known him. To his confusion, Bill just smiled that fond smile of him, almost like he was teasing the boy.

"Dipper, when did you tell me your name?" The man asked in lieu of answering the question, tilting his head-which had lost the hat at some point. Dipper furrowed his eyebrows, wondering what that had to do with anything.

"W-what? I don't… I don't understand."

Bill let out a quick laugh at that, leaning in to give the boy a small peck on the lips before pulling back with a smirk.

"You heard me. When did you tell me your name?"

Dipper thought for a second, opening his mouth preemptively to answer the bizarre but easy question. He closed it a second later, though, when he realized he didn't know the answer. His eyebrows furrowed more with that knowledge. When had he told Bill his name?

"I-I don't know," he confessed, frowning at the man. Had Bill asked around for his name…?

"Hmm. Almost like I knew it before I had ever even met you, huh?" Bill smirked, eye filled with amusement now as he stared at the clueless boy. Dipper just stared back in confusion.

"What? But… but how?"

Bill let out another laugh, head thrown back, looking quite lovely in the lamp light.

"Oh, Pine Tree. I guess smarts isn't something I can expect from you, huh? That's okay. I'm fine with being the smart one in our Match."

Dipper opened his mouth, right about to say that he was incredibly smart, thank you very much, when his brain processed what the prince had said and promptly short circuited.

Wait.

/ _What_ /.

Dipper stared at the man in front of him, eyes bugging out of his skull as he tried to comprehend what he had heard. Because it couldn't be true. He couldn't be… no. He was just Dipper Pines. Ordinary, everyday Dipper Pines. He wasn't Special. Not like Mabel. He didn't get Matched with… with princes! He wasn't in a fairytale. He wasn't that lucky.

He couldn't say anything but he shook his head, heart seizing as he wondered what was happening. Had he died? Was this heaven? Or was it hell? He didn't know and he was starting to freak out, which Bill clearly took notice to, since the boy watched as the man frowned and continued to run soothing circles against his cheek.

"Pine Tree? Pine Tree? You in there? Oh. I've broken him again. Hm. Well, this is an issue. Should I do something? Should I get someone to help? Is he upset? Hm…" Bill muttered, frown deep and troubled on his face. The words brought Dipper out of his trance, though he didn't stop shaking his head.

"N-no. That's not… you can't be my Match. I'm not that lucky. I'm not… y-you never get Full Matches. So we couldn't… I couldn't…"

And so he had finally found the catch. He felt his heart stop suddenly, his breath shallow as he thought this. Even if Bill was his Match, he wouldn't be a Full Match. They couldn't be together, even if he wanted to.

"Really, Pine Tree, do you really think I'd put this much effort into you if I wouldn't be able to marry you in the end? I never put this much effort into the others, just you. Not sure why, when you walked into that first day, but you… you shined. Shined so bright, just like a star. Nothing else mattered, nothing but you."

His eye was so open, so bright; so honest. His expression was genuine. His words, though… they were too good to be true. They couldn't be true. How…

"How? Why me? I don't… I don't understand. Help me understand," Dipper begged, so confused and so tired.

"You think I do?" Bill muttered, raising his other hand to push back a strand of hair that had fallen out of place on Dipper's temple. "I don't understand this, Dipper. Never did. Love… I never felt it. Not for the King. He never much cared for me- the mad, bitter, schizophrenic husk of a son he never wanted. Not for the Queen, who would look at me like she was viewing a ghost, like she only saw my brothers instead of me. And not for that first Match, though he had claimed he loved me. How can you love someone you just met? I didn't understand. So I pushed him away, not wanting to deal with it, with the thoughts. I think I understand now, but I still don't understand the why. The reason. Why you are so special. I just know that… you are."

"Oh," was all Dipper could utter, heart pounding even as it soared in his chest. No one had ever said anything like that to him before. No one had ever been close enough to feel anything like it. He felt his lips stretch into a smile, the doubt fading as he saw the seriousness in the prince's eye, as he recognized the sincerity he had spoken with. Carefully, not wanting to move too quickly and ruin everything, he raised his hand and cupped Bill's cheek, in a mirror of the man's position. Then, even more slowly, he leaned forward, until his lips were a millimeter away from touching Bill's. He hesitated for a single second, before pressing forward, his lips meeting Bill's in a clash, saying everything he couldn't say aloud.

When they pulled back a minute later, Dipper let out a soft, breathy laugh, his face unable to stop smiling.

"Wow. I-I guess you were right. I really am an idiot," he muttered wondrously, not even feeling offended or upset. To think, he could have saved himself so much heartache had he just thought things through instead of pushed them away, not wanting to be hurt; the irony was almost funny. Bill just let out a laugh, nodding his agreement.

A minute passed before Bill stood slowly, taking a seat beside the boy, grabbing his hand carefully as he stared ahead of him.

"So. What now?" Bill asked, looking at Dipper out of the corner of his eye. Dipper shrugged, absentmindedly playing with the fingers laced with his.

"I don't know. Get ready for the Ceremony?"

He heard Bill groan, which didn't instill the boy with much confidence about the whole process, but for once, he didn't care. He had Bill. He had gotten his happily ever after. That was all he needed. All the panic and fear could wait until later; right now, he wanted to keep his brain shut off as he simply felt content for once in his young life.

"That's not going to be fun," Bill said bitterly, pouting as he thought of the spectacle they were about to be made into. Dipper grimaced in agreement, but shrugged.

"Yeah, probably not. But… but no matter what, I'll be there. With you. Every step of the way. Doesn't that count for something?" Dipper questioned softly, almost asking himself as he squeezed his Match's hand in emphasis.

Bill paused, before smiling brilliantly.

"Yeah. Yeah, it does."

They stopped speaking after that, allowing themselves the chance to simply breathe, to finally relax after the stress and heartache of the past few days. Dipper, for one, was grateful. After all, he had a lot to process. Though, maybe he could do that later. Maybe he for now he could just… live. Not worry, for once in his life. A smile found its way onto his face as he thought that. Yeah, that sure did sound nice.

He still wasn't quite used to the idea that this man was his Match, nor would he fully be used to it for a long while, he felt, but it was getting easier each second that passed. And, he thought, no matter what happened, he would be there for this man. This wonderful, beautiful man. He knew there would be issues they'd come across, but he was sure they'd deal with them. Leaning over, he kissed the man gently, feeling like he'd never get enough of his taste, his feel. Maybe he wasn't all right in the head, but Dipper knew that it didn't matter. Even Bill's tendency to be a rude ass wasn't deterring Dipper at the moment. Who knew, maybe Mabel had been right all along; maybe all Bill needed was someone to help him with his anger. And if not, then Dipper would deal with it the best he could, acting as a buffer for the prince's thoughtless comments.

Dipper was pulled out of his thoughts when a knock sounded on the door, the peppy woman poking her head in when Bill cheerfully called 'come in!'

"Prince Cipher, your father, the King, is requesting that you and your Match arrive on the stage as soon as possible. The Matches will be arriving soon and he wants you there to show that you've finally found your Match."

"Give us five minutes, Catherine. We need more than a moment's notice to get ready, after all," Bill chimed cheerfully, his grin large and blinding in the dull lamp light. The woman, Crystal, gave the prince a tight smile before nodding and exiting the room, saying nothing else. Dipper frowned, but decided that his behavior was something to talk about another day. Today was all about them and their Match, after all. He felt Bill stand, watching as the man stretched his long limbs, a yawn releasing.

"Well, I suppose we should get ready. The King does not like to be kept waiting, not a bit. Tried once, as a joke, never showed up to an 'important' meeting. He got very, very angry. So, suppose we should go, then. Hm. What a marvelous time we'll have," Bill muttered lazily looking down at Dipper, who nodded in mild confusion.

"Yeah, I guess so," he said as he followed Bill's example, standing and stretching his stiff muscles. Once he was done, his body all loose for the upcoming Ceremony, he felt Bill take his hand, entwining their fingers, smiling softly.

"You know, I never mentioned, but you look quite spiffy in that suit. Told you light blue would look good on you."

Dipper smiled at the praise, for once not feeling the urge to deny it. If Bill said he liked it, Dipper was inclined to believe him. At least this once, while his brain was still shut off.

"Thanks. You look quite… 'Spiffy' yourself."

With a grin, Bill began marching forwards towards the door with determination, dragging the boy behind him, his entire face glowing with what Dipper hoped was happiness.

"Come on, Pine Tree! Our destiny awaits, out there, with the worms and the cretins! Let us make haste, ride out towards that fabled sunset as we fall off that cliff together!" Bill exclaimed as he yanked the door open with one hand, grin blinding as he looked back at the boy. With a soft smile, Dipper followed, heart filled with excitement about the brave new world they were walking out into.

Together.

* * *

P.S. I hope this went how people wanted it to. No real angst, just a happy ending.

Also, I will not be posting my original story, since no one really seemed too enthused about it. :-)

See you next week with the epilogue!


	7. Epilogue to End All Epilogues

~~We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when~  
~~But I know we'll meet again some sunny day~

It's the end! :-D

The epilogue is here and I hope that this successfully concludes this little story of mine. :-)

This will likely be my last story for a little while, since I'm so busy with college. I had had an idea for a BillDip, where Dipper is a businessman (probably something to do with a computer company) and Bill is a waiter at the local restaurant Dipper goes to, with them actually being friends from the beginning, but I'm so busy I don't know if I'll ever actually finish writing it. Does it sound interesting to anyone, though?

Well, anyway, I hope you like this chapter. Hope you all have a good life. :-)

Oh! And the song in this chapter is "I know I'm a Wolf," by Young Heretics. It's just such a BillDip song to me that I wanted to have somewhere in this story.

Enjoy!

* * *

Contrary to popular belief, living in a palace was not all it was cracked up to be.

For one, the time it took to get from the royal guest bedrooms- where Dipper was forced to stay until he had married the prince- to the dining room? Was absolutely ridiculous. And that didn't even mention how difficult it was to find literally _anything_. Bathroom? Five rights, two lefts, and then straight for three hallways. The library? Down the hall, take two lefts, two rights, another left, three rights, turn in a circle and pray that the gods have mercy on your soul. Heaven forbid you want to know where the kitchen was; it had been three months and Dipper _still_ had no idea where the copious amount of food came from. And don't even get him started on how clinical everything was; it may look beautiful on TV, but living there? Dipper was afraid to breathe half the time, so nervous that he'd trip and break a priceless artifact. It was like living in a house made of glass, but worse. So, so much worse.

It wasn't all bad, though. It certainly was beautiful. And at least Mabel liked it, Dipper thought fondly, remembering the first time he had invited her over, Bill at his side and about fifty security guards in the vicinity. The girl hadn't stopped gushing the entire trip, gripping onto Dipper's arms with wide eyes, informing him that he was the coolest brother ever and that she wanted to move in. Bill had laughed and exclaimed that she could, once the marriage was settled in a year or so; family of the royal Matches were allowed to stay in the palace if they so choose, which had settled one of Dipper's initial fears of being separated from his twin. She had then squealed, as happy as she had been three months previous, when she had heard the news of his Match alongside the rest of the kingdom.

It may have been three months, but it still felt like yesterday, the Matching Ceremony. He could still pinpoint every feeling he had had, the all-encompassing anxiety filling him as he stared out into the crowd of finely dressed individuals. The nausea that had accompanied the anxiety, the feeling of inadequacy as he stood beside the Prince and the King, both men every inch the royal they were, Bill's face closing off as soon as they had entered the same room as his father. It had been terrifying, being the center of millions of people's attentions. It would be big news, after all, that the prince had _finally_ found his Match.

But he also remembered the relief he had felt when- once the Ceremony started- Bill had taken his hand gently in his and smiled at the boy oh so sweetly. And he remembered the weird pride he had felt, when his Match had been announced to the world, Bill standing and smiling as brilliantly as the moon as he looked at Dipper, his hand carefully holding the boy's as they stood for the whole kingdom to see. Nothing else had mattered in that moment, as he stared at his future, his destiny; his life.

After the Ceremony had ended there had been the after party that the King held in the secondary ballroom an hour after the Ceremony, where he had stood beside the prince, everyone rushing them with congratulations and declarations of well wishes. He hadn't been able to find his twin for nearly an hour, despite his best efforts, since he had been rushed away from the Ceremony as soon as it had ended, and had been rushed into the party by a swarm of body guards, and then instantly surrounded by dozens of people eager to meet the prince and his Match.

In the end, he hadn't found her; she had found him. It had been an awkward moment when, after the girl's usual greeting of an overly enthusiastic hug, the two had been surrounded by body guards, the guards yelling at Mabel to step away from the prince's Match. It had taken Bill shooing- literally shooing, like the guards were naughty children, not fully grown men- them for the guards to believe that Mabel was his overly excitable twin sister and not a crazed murderer.

Things had gone better after that, Mabel's enthusiasm not diminishing even with the snag of the guard's interruption. She had given him another hug, tears glistening in her eyes as she beamed, gushing about how happy she was for him, how lucky he was, etcetera. It was only when Bill had cleared his throat pointedly that Mabel had pulled back, gasping as she stared at the source of her childhood fantasies.

Since she had looked too star-struck introduce herself, Dipper had politely introduced the two, smiling even as he wondered how often he'd be called in the next few days, Mabel demanding every detail he knew about the prince. Bill, of course, had not helped matters at all when he had given Mabel a winsome smile and had elegantly kissed her hand, like a prince would. Dipper knew then and there that Mabel would never leave him alone, stars in her eyes as she stared at the prince. Luckily, Pacifica had wandered up soon after, smiling politely at the prince as she took her Match away, telling the girl that they should leave Dipper and the prince alone, winking surreptitiously at the boy as the two left.

The following days had been hectic at best, and downright chaos at worst. The whole palace was in a tizzy, people rushing in and out so quickly that Dipper barely knew what to think. He had been moved into the guest bedroom the day following the Ceremony, his belongings getting shipped instantaneously from his room Gravity Falls. He hadn't even had a moment alone with the prince in those days, Bill busy with the press and with his princely duties. Dipper had similarly been pestered by press, as well as by advisors and hairdressers and seamstresses, and whoever else was concerned with his looks or his lack of knowledge of the 'higher class.'

He had almost had a nervous breakdown at least five times a day.

Just when he had thought he was going to explode, his mind frantic and his nerve totally shot, Bill had shown up like a saving grace, his smile blinding as the man asked Dipper to accompany him on a walk through the gardens, which the boy had frantically agreed to.

On the walk Bill had taken Dipper's hand, leading them to a small, secluded corner, where the prince had asked Dipper how things were going, with a hint of concern in his eye. Dipper had considered lying, but ultimately decided that, if any relationship between them would work, he would have to be honest. And so he had explained his concerns and his fears, under the noonday sun, staring at a rose that was wilting. Bill had then taken his hand and hummed softly, nodding his agreement.

"Things will sort themselves out, Pine Tree; they always do," Bill had claimed, shrugging slightly. Dipper hadn't been entirely appeased, but he nodded, letting the conversation turn lighter in nature, talking about everything and nothing.

After the first week things did, indeed, calm down, the kingdom getting used to the knowledge. It was still reported everywhere, but all the press were not allowed in the palace anymore, which had made things much less hectic. Dipper was still hounded by advisors, who were trying to teach the boy a lifetime of rules and regulations, but at least Bill was around more. Bill, who would laugh at the rules and claim they didn't matter. Dipper still tried to learn, though, if only because one of them needed to know what to do and what not to do. He had also been contacted by his Great Uncles after the first week, both of whom were too busy to come visit, but had given him their blessing and congratulations. Grunkle Stan had even tried to get Dipper to send them money when he finally married the prince, which had caused the boy to smile softly at his Grunkle's typical behavior. It had calmed him, to know that while things were so different, some things would never change.

The first major snag had happened after the third week, right as Dipper had finally starting to get used to the constantly energy that surrounded the palace.

He had been in one of the smaller dining rooms with an advisor, who had been telling him about the importance of fork placement, when he had heard screaming, screaming from a voice that sounded awfully familiar. Rushing out of the room, despite the advisor's warning to not get involved, Dipper skidded down the halls towards the sound. It had taken about a minute, but he finally found the source of the screams; inside the main entrance hall, where a small crowd surrounded a body huddled in the corner, the screams emitting from the scrunched up frame. Dipper had watched in helpless horror as Bill screamed, shouting how they were all murderers, all of them villains and how dare they try to touch him. The prince had apparently lost his eyepatch and Dipper felt… not disgust, but he certainly felt his lunch returning as he saw the bloody, gaping hole, scratch marks mixing with older scars.

He had finally understood, then, why people always called the prince insane. Had he seen this display, without knowing the prince better… he was ashamed to admit he would have thought the very same thing. As it was, all he had felt was his heart breaking for the man as he fought against the demons that plagued his mind. He had been helpless as he watched, a few kind, elderly maids trying to coax the prince out of the corner. It hadn't been until an older gentlemen had shown up, someone who later introduced himself as Bill's therapist, that Bill had stopped screaming, listening to the kindly man's words with distrust in his golden eye.

Dipper would later learn that the prince had 'forgotten' to take his medication for the past few weeks, in the excitement of everything. The prince had, apparently, been growing worse and worse as the days had passed, something Dipper hadn't noticed at the time. Looking back he could recall the prince muttering to himself more often than he had previously, but he had written it off as a quirk, since the man had smiled as brightly as ever at Dipper. The boy had vowed after that harrowing experience that he would make sure that his Match took his medication every day, which had resulted in a screaming match three days later as the prince claimed he was fine and didn't need to be medicated to function, and it wasn't Dipper's business regardless. They had reached a common ground the following night, when Bill had silently crept into Dipper's bedroom, the two talking softly about what had happened and how Dipper could best help without becoming overbearing. It had been decided that Dipper would attend one of Bill's meetings with the therapist, so the man could better explain Bill's condition, as well as how Dipper could help, since Bill seemed at a loss. After the meeting, Dipper was able to understand what to do when Bill had one of his… episodes, as well as how to help Bill with his medication without acting like he didn't trust Bill to take it himself. The rest would come naturally in time, the older man had assured, telling the boy in private later that he was glad that Bill finally had someone he could trust, even if the prince would doubt that trust at times.

After that experience, the following two months were easier to handle, though the two still had their issues to work out, one being Dipper's insecurity and anxiety. But, regardless of the issue, they always worked things out. Nothing was too big that it ruined them. Nothing was able to stop the growing love- yes, _love_ \- that the two felt. And that was all that mattered to Dipper.

That was something Dipper had to remind himself of as he was dragged along by an excited prince, the boy's eyes bleary from sleep, the hallways blending together into one mass of impossibility. That was one thing he'd never get used to, the boy thought absently. Too many hallways.

"Bill," Dipper whined after they took yet another turn, breaking the predawn silence, "where on earth are you taking me? It's, like, five in the morning and I was having a very nice dream. What is so important you have to drag me around the palace so early? Can't it wait until a decent hour of the morning?"

Bill simply tutted, shaking his head at his Match.

"Dipper, Dipper, Dipper. No," was all the man said, taking yet _another_ turn. Dipper groaned, but resigned himself to following the prince, knowing it was better to accept it than to fight. He thanked Mabel for teaching him such a skill.

It was minutes later before the prince stopped, Dipper smacking into the Bill's back with the unexpected stop.

"We're here!" Bill exclaimed, smiling down at Dipper brilliantly. Dipper just blinked at the man, uncomprehending, as he looked around the small, dusty room. There was nothing in the room, save dust and gloom.

"I don't… I don't understand, Bill. Where are we? Why-why are we here?" Dipper yawned, desperately trying to blink away the sleep to no avail. The boy winced when Bill scoffed and flicked him on his forehead, the boy letting out an indignant yelp as he rubbed his birthmark, glaring sleepily at the playfully frowning man.

"Not _here_ , here, dummy. Up there, here," Bill explained, like his words actually made any sense to anyone who wasn't him. It took Bill gesturing exaggeratedly to a ladder that the boy had missed in his survey of the room.

"Oh. Up there, here, indeed," Dipper muttered, rolling his eyes when Bill made a shooing motion, indicating that he should start climbing the ancient looking ladder. With a sigh, he did just that, hoping that his arms didn't give out, seeing as how tired he was. He heard as Bill followed him up, informing the boy to open the little trap door when he had reached the ceiling.

Trying not to wince as a blast of cold air hit him- it was midwinter, after all- he pulled himself out of the small hole, blinking rapidly as he took a good look at his surroundings. It took him a second to register the view he saw, but once he did he couldn't help but let out a soft gasp, the sleep finally leaving him as he stared at the wondrous sight before him.

The two were currently standing on a piece of the roof of the castle, a small section that overlooked the grounds but was sheltered from the snow that had started to cover the land earlier that week. The view, though… the view was stunning. The grounds were covered with snow, clean and unblemished, as no one else was awake at the moment. There was a small pond that had just frozen over, and there were rows upon rows of hedges in the most intricate shapes, still green despite the time of year. As he stared, the sun began rising, allowing Dipper to partially view the sight, the hazy sun just about to break over the horizon and pierce through the smattering of clouds in the sky, but not quite managing it. Dipper was so enchanted that he had forgotten about his companion; that was, until the man stood beside him, letting his impossibly warm hand linger gently against the boy's back. Dipper blinked once, twice at the view before him, before turning to his Match, a soft smile on both of their faces.

"Thanks, Bill, for showing me this," Dipper said softly, sliding a little closer to the prince's side. The prince, in response, snorted.

"Oh, now you're all impressed. Had to deal with your whiny ass for ten whole minutes as we walked over here, and now you're all 'thanks Bill, this was a cool idea!' Maybe now you'll learn to do as I say without complaining, huh, Pine Tree?" Bill returned teasingly, rolling his eye as he hip checked Dipper. Dipper laughed softly, carefully winding his arm around the prince's waist, not wanting the man to hip check him again. When he thought he was safe, Dipper relaxed against the man, resting his head against Bill's shoulder with content. Bill let out a soft hum, and wrapped his arms around Dipper's hip in return, the two sharing a side embrace as the sun finally started to peek out from the horizon, bathing the world in golden light.

Time passed slowly after that, the world peaceful and beautiful, life good as the two shared the space. In the silence that the two shared, Dipper could hear his Match start to sing softly, which made the boy smile. Over the past three months he had learned that Bill had a surprisingly nice voice, when he tried at least. Dipper listened contently, though he began to grow concerned when he comprehended the lyrics that accompanied the strangely familiar melody. It took Dipper a minute, but just as Bill began to complete the song, he realized where he knew the tune from. With widened eyes, Dipper looked up at the man, who was apparently singing the melody that he had been humming intermittently over the past three months, including the first time they had met each other. Dipper listened to the last few words carefully with wonder, pressing closer to the taller man as the haunting song ended.

"So rabbit, please stop looking the other way. It's cold out there, so why not stay here, under my tail."

At the last note faded, Bill pulled Dipper even closer, the man turning somewhat to look at the boy in his arms, eye distant, like he was remembering a long forgotten memory or dream. Dipper just set his hand on Bill's, not wanting to ask if the man didn't want to explain. Minutes passed in silence, the man nearly clinging to the boy, and the boy trying to offer silent support to a man who was clearly desperate for it.

"It was a lullaby," Bill stated softly, after roughly five minutes had passed, turning his eye out to the grounds, his shoulder slumping slightly, "that the Queen would sing to me before they took her away from me. I never could forget this song; it would echo in my head during the day whenever it got too dark, too loud. I always liked it," the man muttered, closing his eye carefully. Dipper felt his heart clench, pressing closer to the prince. Dipper knew from the past months that Bill's mother was a point of contention for the prince, as he felt both resentment and sorrow for the woman. She had apparently passed away when the prince had been fifteen, robbing him of the chance of coming to terms with her departure from his life when he had been a child, which had been what had prompted him to join the King's quest in ridding the world of the people who had taken her sanity away. Though, if Dipper had understood the rumors right, it hadn't exactly been the attack that had robbed the Queen of her sanity; the woman had always been… off, though no one had questioned her before, since she had hid it well enough.

Saying nothing, the two stayed in the silence that followed Bill's confession, the two standing out in the cold until the very first person was seen trudging through the snow, likely a gardener who was trying to keep the mysteriously green hedges green and free of snow. With that, Bill began to move, stretching as he headed back to the trap door, movements carefully even and measured. Dipper didn't question it, simply followed the man down the ladder and into the small, dusty room.

"I'll see you later, huh Pine Tree? I've got to go to a boring meeting the King is holding, and you've got to learn all those pointless rules and restrictions. Fun day, huh?" Bill said conversationally, smirking lazily at the boy. Dipper rolled his eyes, walking over to the prince and pulling him down for a small kiss.

"Which is Bill speak for 'I'm going to skip the meeting and bother you while you try to learn the valuable rules that will help when we eventually are left to run this kingdom,' right?"

Bill smiled brightly as he wrapped his arms around the exasperated boy, leaning down to return the kiss.

"Yep! You know me so well, Pine Tree!"

Dipper laughed at that, shaking his head in exasperation. He figured he could have argued, told Bill that the King would just get angry if he missed yet another meeting, but he decided against it. Bill did what Bill wanted, and nothing he said would ever change that.

But still the boy went through the pretense that he would learn that day, leaving the prince in the small room, hurrying to his room so he could change out of the night clothes he hadn't had time to change out of earlier, when Bill had burst into his room, wide grin on his face. And when Bill showed up in the library later (which the boy had had to get a passing advisor to take him to) and started making a ruckus, Dipper just smiled fondly, apologizing to the advisor only out of obligation and not out of embarrassment of his Match.

Things weren't perfect. Life would have its ups and downs. He knew that. But they had each other.

And in the end, that was all that really mattered.

Wasn't it?


End file.
